Photography

Sandy Cecelia

Cecelia Rose at Westcott Beach. Photo by Michael Kleen

Model Cecelia Rose at Westcott Beach at sunset on Lake Ontario, Jefferson County, New York. I took these with a basic 70-300mm lens – this is becoming my new favorite lens for model photography! The higher the focal length, the more it throws the background out of focus, making a zoom lens perfect for separating a subject from the background. But, the trade off is that it’s difficult to steady the lens so motion blur is a problem.

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Old Harbor Motel

Sign for the old Harbor Motel near Route 3 and Smithville Road, south of Sackets Harbor, New York. Not sure when this establishment opened or closed, but it looks like it’s been closed for a few years at least.

Little Theatre in Rochester, NY

Neon marquee for the Little Theatre, 240 East Ave in Rochester, New York. The Little Theatre was designed by local architects Edgar Phillips and Frederick Pike in Art Deco style and opened in 1929.

Leah at The White Lady’s Castle

Leah Hotte at The White Lady's Castle. Photo by Michael Kleen

Model Leah Hotte poses at a stone wall, located in Durand-Eastman Park, which was once part of a hotel dining hall that served swimmers in nearby Lake Ontario. According to legend, a woman in white haunts the ruin, searching for her long-lost daughter. The park is located in Irondequoit, New York, north of Rochester.
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Orpheus Two Disco

The Orpheus Two at 68 US Route 11 outside Brewerton, New York, opened in 2015 and appears to not have lasted very long. Dave Buono opened the first disco in Syracuse in the 1970s and sunk a lot of money into this one. Entrance was overgrown with weeds.

Raymond R. Knapp

Raymond R. Knapp has been a regional used car dealership since the 1970s. It is currently located in Johnson City, New York but this old sign indicates it once stood near the Rocket Center along U.S. Route 11 east of Binghamton.

Cecelia in Twilight

Model Cecelia Rose in Waterworks Park on the Black River. Photo by Michael Kleen

Model Cecelia Rose at the Black River in Waterworks Park, Watertown, Jefferson County, New York. I love the dreamy, vintage feel of these photos. I wasn’t sure how well they’d turn out because we were rapidly losing light, so I was pleasantly surprised.

M.A. Kleen

Writer & Traveler with a passion for history, photography & the unusual