View allAll Photos Tagged signgeeks
derelict water tanker in the fading town of ludlow along old route 66 / interstate 40 in the middle of california's mojave desert. polaroid spectra pro instant camera + impossible project B&W film.
Pembroke, GA
Until we came across this ghost sign, I had never heard of Obelisk flour.
I discovered two things online. First, this, from The Society of Architectural Historians: "The Ballard and Ballard Company was established in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1880 by Samuel and Charles T. Ballard. Their chief product was Obelisk Flour, which they advertised through painted signs that are still visible on the sides of old buildings from Georgia to Maine. The company ceased production under its own name when Pillsbury acquired it in 1951."
And, if you're into banjo music, there is an instrumental by Lewis, Scruggs, & Long titled "Obelisk Flour". Give a listen here: music.youtube.com/watch?v=_I325CIp0L0&list=RDAMVM_I32...
Columbus, OH
From the Cinema Treasures web site:
"The Livingston Theatre was a neighborhood theatre that opened in 1946 on the east side of Columbus. The marquee still has โLivingstonโ in stainless steel letters across the front of the building.
From 1967 it was renamed Gayety-Livingstone Theatre, playing gay adult movies. By 1976 it became the Club Columbus Baths, a gay bathhouse, which later was renamed The Flex Club, still a gay bath house, which occupied the theatre until late-2011. In late-2012 proposals were made to renovate the theatre. In early-2019 the auditorium was demolished and senior housing will be built on the site. The faรงade has been saved."
at 6am, all of the tweakers are finally curling up to sleep. the rundown and wind-blown queens motel sits on the edge of the open desert, the last stop for many who are down and out.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Granby, Quebec
This amazing (and tall!) animated neon sign is one of my favourite finds. The restaurant had its beginnings in 1950 and the sign went up in 1972.
From their web site:
"1950: After working as a salesman, delivery man and even bartender in his spare time, Bernard "Ben" Dubรฉ opened his own restaurant at the age of 19 to satisfy his love of the public and potatoes!
1972: Several sketches, countless hours of work and an astronomical sum at the time of $ 6,700 later was born this mega Ben, thirty feet tall, filled with neon lights, which feeds on a good hot-dog day and night.
The idea was a success and put the canteen back on track for good. It wasn't until 25 years later that Ben realized how big an impact the brand had on his business when it was chosen to cover the Mondial in advertising around the world. A nice pat on the back for someone we called crazy at the time."
To read more:
Richmond, VA
Doesn't this old building have marvellous detail!? Built in 1928, this was previously the home of The Berry-Burk Company, a clothing store. Imagine shopping for clothes here!
The store is long gone and the building has been repurposed to apartments.
As a bonus, I also captured a second, partially-hidden scaffold sign too!
a weathered billboard on the western fringes of barstow. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Vero Beach, FL
From Wikipedia:
"The Vero Theatre (also known as the Florida Theatre or Theatre Plaza) is a historic theater in Vero Beach, Florida. Located at 2036 14th Avenue, the Vero Theatre was designed in the Mediterranean Revival style by architect F.H. Trimble. It opened on October 14, 1924 as the city's first motion picture theater with its first feature film being the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The theatre became the center of the fight to remove Indian River from St. Lucie County as a result of local blue laws prohibiting Sunday film viewing. Governor John W. Martin created Indian River County in the theatre in May 1925. On April 28, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Theatre closed in 1985 when other multiplex theatres opened nearby. The last film shown was Desperately Seeking Susan.
The building is one of the few remaining structures of the original downtown. It is currently vacant, though there have been numerous attempts made to renovate the structure. The last attempt at renovation was done by developer Robert L. Brackett. His attempts were halted by the storms of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season.["
On US 301
Claxton, GA
I liked the corrugated plastic and the old metal arrow with the bulbs. This is the type of place we like to find for lunch or dinner when road tripping. Unfortuantely, it looked closed when we stopped, and online, it's listed as permanently closed.
Sherman Oaks, CA
Two signs for the price of one LOL:
Casa Vega Restaurant, and Sherman Oaks Village -- and that nifty arrow!
Columbus, OH
This iconic neon scaffold sign that graces Capitol Square and downtown Columbus, Ohio, went up back in 1958. The banner was added in 1971. And this year, 2021, marked both the 50th anniversary of that banner, plus the 150th year of the newspaper. As you might guess, other signs preceded this one too.
To learn more, have a look here:
www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2021/07/01/iconic-dispa...
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4. film: kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Lynn, MA
This wonderful old shoe sign has a neon lassie on this side and, you guessed it, a lad on the other.
This sign is part of an installation of neon signs in Lynn, a suburb of Boston. In 2018, Lynn started to light up its streets with a collection of vintage neon signs. The project was supposed to run for three years; I don't know if the signs are still up, but I sure hope they are! This is one of them.
Here's an article about the project:
Wildwood, NJ
I LOVE old, rusty, grungy signs. Despite that love, I know they aren't attractive to potential customers. I love the look of this sign but I probably wouldn't have stayed there, given the condition of the sign. I checked on google streetview and the Beach Holiday Motel must have realized their sign wasn't good for business, as they spiffied it up some time after I took this photo.
Honestly.....I wish their business well but I am glad I got a photo of it before the change.
It was early on a Saturday evening when I was there, and the store was already closed for the day, which was too bad because I would have loved to have gone inside. Next time. Maybe I'll get a chance to see this sign at night next time, too.
According to their web site, they've been at this same location since 1944. For an art supplies store, I think that's amazing. I look forward to shopping here some day.
North Hollywood, CA
former location of gaston's cafe where leonard knight of salvation mountain fame would drink his morning coffee. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
We just returned from an amazing three-week vacation on the west coast of Canada and the US. I FINALLY was able to shoot Circus Liquor at night.....another item scratched off my bucket list!
North Hollywood, CA
abandoned roadside diner along interstate 15 between baker and the nevada border. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
On US 1
North Attleboro, MA
Okay...this one requires an explanation. The reason behind "never any vacancies"? It's because there is no actual motel there! Not any more.
This is the site of the former Arns Park Motel, which opened in 1923. The word MOTEL and the wonderful red pointer/arrow are not new, but the rest of the sign was, as you can see, painted over by the new owners of the property (Boch Toyota South) about ten years ago, who tore down the motel (and had an on-site farmhouse moved to Virginia) to make room for automobile storage. Have a look through the slideshow at this site and you'll be able to see the sign before its, um, transformation.
www.thesunchronicle.com/vip/features/nostalgia/our-abando...
Columbus, Ohio
When we went on our Ohio/Kentucky road trip, I had a list of must-shoot signs from a friend who grew up in the area; this was one of them. It didn't disappoint.
Orlando, FL
This wonderful store has been in business in Orlando since 1954, and moved into this location -- which once was a Publix supermarket -- in 1973. They have a great exterior, with all those glass blocks, the neon signage, plus the old clock. Inside, it's a photographer's paradise ... and if you're a model train aficionado, you'll be in heaven here.
On US 30 (Lincoln Hwy); Irwin, PA
Berk's offers both clothing and dry-cleaning -- I love their sign with its huge, colourful, diamond-shaped letters.
From their website:
"Since 1917, Berk's Menswear and Tuxedo Shop has been outfitting men for work lives, casual lives, special events, and every occasion in-between. We offer a premier selection of fine clothing and accessories for casual, business, big and tall, and formal wear - from the quality designers you prefer at a price you'll appreciate.
With expert on-site tailoring and a professional dry-cleaning service, Berk's is your one and only stop for value, selection and style.
Fashions change, but our commitment to award-winning customer service does not. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review readers have voted us their favorite men's clothing and tuxedo shop for 10 years running. Stop in and see why Berk's should be your outfitter for life."
Route/US 301
Ocala, FL
There's an old neon vacancy sign...an old, yellowed, plastic information sign...an old, bright yellow, bulb arrow missing the bulbs...and a fairly new, blue, Dixie Motel sign, although the metal casing looks rusty. A lot going on here!
Route/US 92
Tampa, FL
It wasn't too late at night, in February 2017, when I took this photo. The parking lot was empty but that can be attributed to the timing, I'm sure. But according to Yelp, Club 92 is closed. I can't imagine the sign would be lit up if the business was shut down, but I suspect it did close down not too long after I took this photograph. I checked their FB page and it hasn't been updated for quite some time.
We drove by here one afternoon in January 2020 and this great sign was still there, but there was a big For Lease sign on the property.
Iโve shot it HDR digital. And with Polaroids. And with my iPhone. This was shot using low brow Lomo CN100 film. And a @flagstaffcamera Pentax 6x7 of which dreams are, uh, weaved @dreamweevers โข
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if I were being pointlessly critical I could point out that the saturation is effectively gone in the pink neon, and the blue is not far behind. But the fact that I was able to blast the living snot out of this film by over exposing it the way I did in the highlights amazes me! โข
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Consider that this is a single shot. And you can clearly see all of the stuff going on inside the laundry room. I am beginning to fully understand why Hollywood producers insist on sticking with color negative film for their top end productions. The humble color negative has a dynamic range that we were never able to fully enjoy back when the only way to view a color negative was via a wet dark room print. We now have digital sensors with astonishingly good signal to noise ratios and abilities to see into dark shadows. But there is still something about the look the chemical compression which humble color negative film offers. I love my color transparency film and always will, but I have a new respect for what color negative film can do given the proper capture tools and software workflow. #negativelabpro called out because... I sure as hell couldnโt have gotten here with the 500 bucks I spent on silver fast HDR๐ฅ
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#homedeveloped #historicroute66 #tucumcaritonight #glassboystudios #signgeeks #nighthawks #349amcollection #heylomography #mediumformatfilm #lomocn100 #120film #filmphotogeeks
Vancouver, BC
Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver is very different than when I was a child. Back then, it was thriving -- now, not so much. This section of Hastings is Skid Row and it's obvious that so many are having a hard time, and yet only a few blocks away you'd never know this part of Vancouver exists. It's true in most big cities but it's glaringly obvious here.
The "Dished Vancouver" web site does list the Grand Union as one of Vancouver's top-10 epic dive bars, so if you're in the area and up for a night out, you may want to give it a whirl.
And if you're interested in the history here, check out this article:
vanasitwas.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/follow-the-bouncing-g...
the now closed frontier motel along old route 66 in the arizona desert. nikon D7000 + nikkor 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G. processed in photoshop + alienskin exposure.
vintage texaco service station sign in the nevada desert. nikon D7000 + nikkor 18-200mm. 4 minute exposure under full moon, light painting with LED flashlight, green and red gels. 5x4min exposures stacked for star trails.
West Hollywood, California
Want to know more about Oki-Dogs? Here's a good read:
thetakeout.com/we-ll-see-you-all-at-oki-dogs-the-story-of...
Petersburg, VA
Looks like there are a few ghost signs going on here -- the Nash is the most obvious, but I also see 5ยข on the left, which I believe was part of the Coca-Cola signage. There are other words along the top, too. And who knows what the bright yellow street art covered up?
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Jeffersonville, GA
I am a Piggly Wiggly fan and finding them in small towns is always a special joy. This store, just off US80, seemed like a blast from the past but as for the age of this particular pig logo, I am clueless.
It's in sad shape, this old theatre and its (I'm sure) once-wonderful signage; the neon appears to be completely missing as are most of the bulbs. I had my window down and heard, "She's got a camera!" called out as we drove down the street (McMicken Avenue). The neighbourhood did not seem welcoming.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Los Angeles, CA
Some great art painted on this donut shop! I'm thinking Slauson Donuts was once-upon-a-time a Winchell's Donuts? The sign looks like it's the same shape.
sadly, this market in desert shores along the salton sea recently burned. the great neon sign will be missed.
bracketed HDR exposure to capture both the neon sign and the night sky. nikon D7000 + nikkor 10-24mm. HDR processed in nik HDR efex pro 2.
Everett. MA
It's a good thing there's a small hill across the street, otherwise I don't think I'd have been able to get the whole sign in the photo! This wonderful old neon scaffold sign was a bucket list must-shoot for me and it was great to finally see it in person. The neon doesn't work now but I didn't care.
Teddie Peanut Butter was introduced during the Great Depression by the Leavitt Corporation and it's still being produced. I bought a jar of it at a local grocery store while in Massachusetts but unfortunately something happened to the bag it was in and when home, we discovered the top had cracked and leaked. Sigh. The perils of travelling.