I probably mention the large studio I had in New Castle, Pennsylvania, more often than I should. But it was truly a labor of love and the realization of a dream. Unfortunately, it was also at the mercy of the economic collapse that swept through western Pennsylvania—something none of us could control.
If I’m honest
One of my deepest regrets about closing that studio after ten wonderful years is that I have very few photographs of it. Recently, my friend and former associate, Sandra (Sandy, as I knew her then), posted a few images from the New Castle News showing parts of the building as it’s being used today. It was gratifying to see that much of the restoration work into which I’d poured myself is still there.
At one time I had plenty of photographs taken after the restoration was complete. Sadly, an offsite storage leak destroyed huge volumes of prints and negatives, including nearly all of the interior images. By the time I closed the studio, there was also a great deal of sadness attached to that place. The region’s enormous industrial base—the engine that had sustained my business for a decade—had largely disappeared, and it has never truly returned.
If I’m honest, I may have let go of a few remaining photographs simply because I no longer wished to be reminded of what was happening.
The building was enormous—22,000 square feet spread over three floors and a full basement; about 5,500 square feet per level. It was beautiful (unlike what you see here), winning an award from Pennsylvania’s department for Historic Preservation for beautification in keeping with the nature of the time it was built. The unsightly pink, orange and beige trim seen here was actually all teal green, as seen in the display window photo, below.
Over a century still beautiful with a little TLC
The first floor welcomed visitors with large display windows filled with oversized prints on either side of the entrance. Inside was a reception area furnished with comfortable chairs and more large-format photographs. Beyond a divider was a permanent 19-by-25-foot matte black cyclorama, fully rigged with lighting for our low-key and black & white work. Having it always ready meant we could move quickly from one set to another.
A long hallway connected the rest of the floor. On the left were two conference and sales rooms and my office. On the right were beautiful century-old wooden shelves and glass display cases that had once belonged to the original hardware store. Those lights were milk-glass, stored and forgotten until we restored them.
At the end of the hall to the left, were two dressing rooms, with the employee entrance straight ahead. Just to the right of these was a raised 20-by-20-foot platform enclosed by a waist-high railing with swinging gates. In this space were the desks and computers for the business manager and team, as well as an entire wall of small wooden drawers we used as file space for storage of client negatives and files. The key elements to our sound system for music throughout the studio was located there as well.
Continuing to the right and through large wooden swinging doors, was our largest studio. Half of the room was a white cyclorama measuring roughly 15 feet deep, 20 feet wide, and 15 feet high, with generous curved corners. A second-floor balcony overlooked the space, allowing us to photograph from above. The other half featured a built-in 12-foot work counter that we could walk around, making it ideal for tabletop and product photography.
We also handled all of our own film processing and printing in-house. The smaller darkroom housed a Jobo ATL-2 processor for C-41, E-6, black-and-white film, plus Cibachrome prints up to 16×20 inches. The larger darkroom was devoted to printing, centered around an Omega 5D enlarger with a Beseler-Minolta RGB color head. For fast proof printing from color negatives, up to 16×20, we used a roller transport—if memory serves, it was a Durst three-tank unit, though I can’t swear to the brand anymore. For 24×30 prints in-house, we tray processed in that same room. Both darkrooms had sinks and long counter tops. Processing waste was run through a filtration system.
That was just the first floor.
The second floor featured beautiful exposed brick walls throughout. Above the white cyc was a room with 12-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows. We installed a ballet barre there and photographed many student dancers. It also became a favorite space for high school athletes because we could transform it into a rugged workout environment.
Farther toward the front of the building, we invited local high school students to create spray-painted murals and school mascots on the walls. It gave the space personality and made the students feel like they had helped create something special for their senior portraits. We also had room to paint our own canvas backgrounds.
At the very front of the building was a massive north-facing window, flooding the space with beautiful natural light. We painted everything white, added a window seat and shelving, then built a white wall about fifteen feet back. That wall reflected light beautifully into the window seat and also doubled as a small natural-light cyclorama.
The third floor remained unfinished, though I had plenty of plans for it. I envisioned additional shooting spaces and even a rooftop garden where clients and staff could relax between sessions.
The basement housed the carpentry shop, where countless sets, props, and custom pieces came to life.
Looking back, it wasn’t just a photography studio. It was a place where ideas became reality, where clients became friends, and where a dream had the chance to live for ten unforgettable years.
We may not be in that studio any longer, but we are still rockin’ and rollin’, just in the greater Washington DC-Frederick region! Give us a call at 724-730-8513 and let’s create something that reflects your dreams!
