This week, Ann-Christine asks us to get “creeped out” on any images we might have left over from our recent celebration of Halloween. My first thought was one that this would be a challenge for me as I don’t tend toward the “creepy” in my images. Then I remembered a few places and times that could be considered creepy, especially with a little help from my photo processing tools. The Mystery Castle in Phoenix, Arizona is my opening example. It was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and fair weather clouds when I focused my lens on this interesting domicile. The story is one of love for a father and his daughter with a sad and intriguing twist. You can read about it here. I took one of the images of the house and gave it a black and white photo treatment with the emphasis on low-key under exposure.

Another low-key exposure on a foggy morning in Fargo, North Dakota provided a creepy glow from the street lights lining this bridge over a viaduct that directs excess rainwater and snow melt toward the Red River which is just off to the right of this image.

An abandoned motel in White’s City, New Mexico is near the entrance to New Mexico’s famed Carlsbad Caverns. Captured on a clear and starry night, a long exposure and a sepia treatment bring out the creepiness of this 1960s era motor lodge. Who knows what long dead “guests” haunt this lovely residential accommodation.

An image doesn’t have to be black and white to make it creepy. Some would consider this beautiful spider creepy. This harmless garden spider looks terrifying but it is a gardener’s friend. She was captured here in the process of weaving her web on a section of steel siding on the wall outside of our condo in Fargo. In most browsers you can click on the image to enlarge it for better viewing. I recommend it!

John Steiner