Tuesday 1 July 2014

McLean's Auto Salvage

Hello again my friends!  I am, as usual, a little late on this one, but I wanted to share some pictures from a recent photo adventure that I went on.  It was a couple weeks ago, but I'm only now getting around to posting these because, well, I'm very lazy.

Dad and I went out with Brian and his Band of Merry Photographers, many of whom were with us for the Burwash adventure that I posted about a couple months ago.  This particular trip was a little closer to home though.  We went out to McLean's Auto Salvage, near Rockwood (outside of Guelph.)  It's quite an interesting place; from what I can gather they've been operating as an auto salvage yard for decades, but they aren't doing a ton of business anymore.  It's a huge piece of land, and the old cars are scattered through various fields which are separated by small stands of trees.  The result is a forest of old, derelict vehicles, many of which predate me.  It's become a real attraction for local photographers like my friends and travelling companions who have a passion for the old and abandoned.  What's really fantastic about this place is that the owners are quite happy to let us wander around their property taking photos of the old treasures scattered throughout.  In searching for information of McLean's before we went out there I found several other site from groups who went out there to hone their craft.  What started as a couple guys running a salvage yard has turned into a photographer's playground, and through that the owners have become real patrons of the arts.  I wouldn't blame them for a moment if they wanted to start charging an entrance fee to reap a little profit from this growing attraction, but no suggestion of the sort was ever made.

I've collected some of my favourite shots from the day and I'll put them here for you all to enjoy.  As usual I've scaled these down to prevent taking all day uploading them, but if you'd like a full-sized image I'm always happy to provide those upon request.  Enjoy!

It's funny and/or ridiculous, but I think this is my favourite shot from the day... and the salvage is entirely in the out-of-focus background.

Okay, something rusty, that's more like it.

I love this old Ford.

This was a common site throughout the day.  Any car with its windows at least mostly intact seemed to act as a kind of greenhouse, and the plans were loving it.

As you can see it was a beautiful day.

Safety is serious business.


Another greenhouse car.  Some of these even had a bit of condensation on the windows.  It's pretty obvious that the plants in this car were in their element.

I liked the moss all over the seat.  Euphy has informed me that this is, in fact, "gross."  I stand corrected.


A symbol of a long-lost era.  Even more so now.


There were some newer vehicles on the property; testament to the fact that this is still a functioning salvage yard.  Dad dug around in a minivan and found an incredible series of old books.  We actually tracked down one of the owners and bought them from him.

I love the irony of this sticker.

Got a clue?

I'm pretty sure everyone who has ever visited here has taken a picture of this car.  The eagle-eyed among you will notice that there is a TREE growing clear through the roof.  The eventual fate of all things we build.  Nature prevails.

There was some pretty heavy equipment laying around the site.

So there you have it folks.  Hope you enjoyed my effort.  I certainly enjoyed getting those shots.  It was a great opportunity for me to practice my photography.  In fact, that was the first time I threw my camera in full Manual mode and just took the time to play with the settings and get things (occasionally) right.  All in all it was a great learning experience.

I've been playing around a lot with my new camera.  On Brian's suggestion I've even been taking it downtown to work with me and heading out to shoot on my lunch break.  I'll make a post in the near future with a collection of the photos I've manage to capture in my practice sessions.  Until then, be safe, be happy, and enjoy this lovely Canada Day!