Kings Park Psychiatric Center: The Abandoned Long Island Asylum

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Kings Park and the Education of an Explorer Every pursuit has a place where beginners go first. Skateboarders have their parking lots and curbs. Climbers have their local crags. And if you are just finding your way into the world of urban exploration on Long Island, sooner or later someone points you toward Kings Park. The former Kings Park Psychiatric Center has become, over the years, something like a finishing school for people who don't yet know they're enrolled. Getting onto the grounds is straightforward. Finding a way inside the remaining buildings, if you know where to look, is not much harder. Which is exactly why the Parks Police have written thousands of trespassing tickets here in a single calendar year, why security visibly tightens every Halloween, and why local photography groups have been known to show up with large, enthusiastic crowds of people who want to take what they call "creepy" photos of old hospital asylums. The place attracts everyone, which...
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A Supermoon for a Asahi Super-Takumar 135mm Tele










Capturing the ethereal beauty of the night sky, I recently took my new Takumar 135mm 1:3.5 lens for a test under the stars, setting my camera to ISO 200, a shutter speed of 1/200s, and manual mode to best capture the lunar landscape. With the aperture set between f/16 and f/22, the intricate grey details of the moon's surface were vividly showcased against the backdrop of a perfectly clear night sky. As I jot down these thoughts, the clock nudges closer to 3AM EST, specifically 2:37AM EST, underscoring the serene quiet of the early morning.

The intention was to complement this lunar exploration with some low-light video footage, utilizing the Yashica 1.4 lens. However, the whims of nature intervened, as clouds veiled the celestial spectacle, obscuring the view and dashing my plans. Such is the unpredictable thrill of astrophotography, yet the promise of future supermoons keeps the spirit of anticipation alive.

This nocturnal venture not only offered a glimpse into the moon's mesmerizing details but also served as a testament to the Asahi Takumars' exceptional optical quality. These lenses continue to be instrumental in capturing the natural world's subtleties, whether in the dead of night or the light of day.

As I conclude this post, the ambiguity of the hour prompts a playful pondering: Is it time to bid you goodnight, or rather, good morning? Regardless, the adventure into the night yields to the necessity of sleep. Until the next celestial event beckons, I bid you a restful pause, be it under the cloak of night or the first light of dawn.





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Kings Park Psychiatric Center: The Abandoned Long Island Asylum

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