Urban exploration with the Fujifilm X-E2

Last weekend (as I write this) I was in the neighboring town of Hokitika to try out my Ilford HP5 film simulation. I found myself wandering the back-streets on a drizzly afternoon - ideal conditions for black and white images, but not my normal subject matter. Although I wasn't really expecting much, I actually came away with a couple of images that I loved, and that really excited me (see the post here).

Urban exploration really isn't my thing - mostly because I live in a small town and don't really think of it as somewhere worth exploring (familiarity really does breed contempt)! But my brief afternoon spent exploring the streets of Hokitika made me re-evaluate that a little. I decided that if similar conditions (drizzly and cloudy) represented themselves here in Greymouth where I live, then I would take the opportunity to go out and explore my local town.

All you need is Love. Fuji X-E2 with XC16-50mm. f/5.6 @ 1/280th, ISO 400. Ilford HP5 recipe

This being Greymouth, I didn't have to wait too long for a drizzly and overcast afternoon! As already mentioned, I loved the look I got using the black and white HP5 film simulation recipe, so I decided to go with that again for this new series of urban exploration.

Having lived in Greymouth for almost 20 years, there were a few spots that I knew I wanted to go to. But I also wanted the freedom to just wander around the town and see what caught my eye. The first stop was behind some buildings that I had used in the past for some wedding photos - for obvious reasons. I've only ever shot there in colour before - the wall with 'Love' is a deep blue colour - but it also works well in black and white.

The Royal. Fujifilm X-E2.  f/5.6 @ 1/150th, ISO 400. Ilford HP5 film simulation

Unfortunately, as with any small, rural township, Greymouth has its fair share of neglected and abandoned buildings littering the CBD. This is always sad to see, and never looks good when people are visiting. But, on the flip-side, it makes for some great black and white photos! It also seems that many of these abandoned buildings are being torn down (not surprisingly), so its important that someone photograph them while they are still around. The Royal Hotel is one such building - disused for a few years now and going from wrack to ruin. So sad to see for such a grand old building.

Incredible Staff Parking! Fujifilm X-E2.  f/8 @ 1/110th, ISO 400

It's not just buildings that are closing down either. Businesses are also struggling in the current climate. A national chain called 'Just Incredible' have only recently closed their doors in Greymouth, and while wandering around I spied this parking sign behind the closed store. If you didn't know that 'Just Incredible' was a store, you could be forgiven for thinking that the owner of these parking spaces had an inflated opinion of their worth! What some people in the cities wouldn't pay for just incredible staff parking. 😂

This was the kind of quirky imagery that I was hoping to come across just by wandering around with camera in hand. And fortunately, there was more where that came from - depending, I suspect, on your sense of humor.

Fatman. Fujifilm X-E2.  f/5.6 @ 1/1250th, ISO 400. Ilford HP5 Film simulation recipe.

The title says it all really. There's not much else to this photo except the name on the side of the barrels, and the funnel sticking out of the middle barrel further indicating its intended use (if any further indication was necessary). I came across a few of these, behind restaurants and cafes, and was immediately intrigued (and also a little grossed-out) by the connotations that the 'Fatman' conjured in my mind. Who is the 'Fatman'? Is he... fat? What does he do with all that used fat? Where does it go? Do I really want to know? The resulting photo is, for me, part mystery, part fascination, and part nightmare!

Sorry, We Are Closed. Fujifilm X-E2 with XC16-50mm. f/8 @ 1/70th, ISO 400. HP5 film recipe

In small-town New Zealand, this is the reality we face. Shops that aren't just closed for the weekend, but for good. 2020 has been a particularly difficult year world-wide, with the Covid-19 pandemic causing massive job losses and businesses closing. The decline in rural New Zealand has been happening long before the pandemic, but this has made things 100 times worse.

As a region, the West Coast has historically been reliant on extractive industries and its resources: coal, gold and timber. Government restrictions have seen these industries all but dry up, to the point where the West Coast (and many other New Zealand towns) are purely reliant on tourism to drive the local economy. With a world-wide pandemic, closed borders, and the prospect of zero international travel for maybe even a few years, the outlook for many of these towns is grim. I fear that more of the 'Sorry, We Are Closed' signs will appear in local business windows before this is all over?

Pizazz. Fujifilm X-E2 and XC16-50mm.  f/8 @ 1/90th, ISO 400. Ilford HP5 recipe

I wandered around the town, through the backstreets and central area, for about 2 hours on a drizzly Sunday afternoon. In that time I passed maybe three or four other people. The town was deathly quiet. Perhaps it was the weather, or perhaps it was the lack of people? But I couldn't help but start to feel a little saddened by the plethora of run-down, abandoned or partly-demolished buildings I was able to point my camera at in such a small space. Or maybe that's just the kind of imagery I was searching for?

Don't get me wrong, there is some fantastic work being done to 'beautify' the Greymouth CBD, and the central area next to the river and art gallery does look fantastic. It's a real asset to the town, and a great start. But when you venture out, beyond the confines of the town square, the buildings tell a very different story.

Vehicle Returns Area. Fujifilm X-E2. f/8 @ 1/100th, ISO 400. Ilford HP5 film simulation recipe

Maybe this last image sums up my afternoon spent capturing the urban decay of small-town New Zealand. Is this really what we want tourist to see when they drop of their rental car in Greymouth?

I live here, I work here, and I want to keep living and working here well into the future. I want to be positive about the future of this town - my town - and of all rural New Zealand towns. But sadly, photos like the ones I was able to take today, can be found in every small town across the nation. 

Abandoned buildings make for excellent black and white subjects, and I think I came back with some great photos of them today. But I kind of wish that I hadn't.