Virjune Manufacturing Co: Inside Waterbury's Vacant Factory

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J and I were already having a rough day. We'd just driven across town to check out an old industrial site he hadn't visited in a while, only to find it erased. Nothing left but a slab of concrete and chain-link fence. So we took a detour. Sometimes you salvage a disappointing afternoon with a backup plan, even if you're just ticking a box. The former Virjune plant hides in plain sight off Thomaston Avenue. If you drive past in summer, you'll miss it completely. Trees and shrubs swallow the building whole, nature reclaiming what industry left behind. Come winter, though, when the branches go bare and the world turns gray, the red brick skeleton reveals itself. Even then, you have to know where to look. I pulled up old Sanborn maps to trace the building's history. The earliest tenant was an auto body shop in 1922. By February 1950, something bigger had moved in. The map labels it simply "Stamping Wks." No company name. No flourish. Just function. That namele...
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Prospect Park Ducks, Turtles & Swans (Sankyo Kohki)

A serene scene in Prospect Park with turtles basking on logs in the calm waters, surrounded by lush greenery. The sunlight filters through the leaves, casting a soft glow on the water's surface, highlighting the peaceful coexistence of wildlife in this natural urban retreat.

 A little bit overexposed than the first image. 


This morning I took an early morning shoot in the park with all the early morning bicyclists and joggers. I enjoyed it today because I opened up my camera and interchangeable lenses on the beautiful clove where three benches open up to the dark green pond full of fish and other unknowns.

I sampled the Komura Sankyo Kohki 135mm and the Samigon 35mm. The Kohki 135mm photos opened wide at f/3.5 causing a bit of overexposure due to the bright sun with zero clouds so early at 8 in the morning. I stopped it down around f/5.6 and f/8 and the pictures really started to shine with sharp colors and a nice contrast of greens and yellows. The Sankyo Kohki really sings at f/5.6. Old Japanese lenses really give you something more than auto-focus lenses. Many will argue modern lenses are better with better optics glass and coatings. In the alternative, while these old manual focus lenses might not have snazzy modern glass coatings and optics they still produce spectacular images in the hands of pros and new DSLR owners. If you don't believe me look up a post on Pentax forums where a fungus Takumar produces incredible images like it isn't even there. View it here.








Source: The Dead Lens Club - Pentax

Lens Info: Komura Sankyo Kohki f= 135mm

 Location: Prospect Park Brooklyn
Location: Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, USA

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