Comments

Looks like its straight out of the old b/w movie 'The Haunting'

Oh yea, another great place to go.

This building is amazing, just getting there was an amazing adventure with my friends. The view from the top of 93 is definitely awesome too. Great place but wouldn't go back after some friends got arrested another time.

I like the combination of the unbroken light bulb and the switch sticking out below it, actually. Just seems sort of fun somehow.

I must be the least visually imaginative person in the world, because I can't see anything in this picture. Hallway, doors, light, shadows. I can see how it would be easy for the mind to form patterns out of the shadows, the peeling paint, etc., but I just don't see the things you guys are talking about no matter how hard I try.

I see... nothing in the archway. Another arch behind it, and a few spots of what looks like stray sunlight or something, but otherwise just darkness.

I think this is my favourite of the photos featuring this ray of light. It's gorgeous, in a dark and eerie sort of way. Kind of wish this were one of the available wallpapers; I'd love to have it in my rotation.

Overexposed, sure, but I like it nonetheless. It has a dreamy-drunk-nightmare sort of feeling to it. If all your work were like this it would totally suck--but in the midst of so many clean, stark images, it really has a lot of impact, I think.

Falling trees is my first thought. Although where those trees are now if they fell after the institution was abandoned, or why the railings weren't repaired if it happened before, I couldn't tell you...

Looks like a human being seen through cloudy glass to me. In some of those panes you can see cracks and holes indicating that there *is* still glass there. I have no idea what y'all are on about with the coming through the window pane bit.

Agreed about the platform at the top, but one presumes that a therapist would have been on hand to help with the therapy. I imagine they would have "spotted" the patient, holding the patient's hand as the stairs were climbed? (Of course, I guess you can never tell given the other stories I've heard about the neglect at Pennhurst...)

Looks like the vegetation in the foreground just happening to get in the way of the windows to me. Motts--I love your photography, but unfortunately your visitors seem entirely too determined to find ghosts in it even when there are perfectly logical mundane explanations for what they're seeing...

With all due respect... If you look at the picture with the intent of finding some sort of ghostly figure, yes, you'll see just that. I urge people to remember that not every odd shape and shadow is a shadow figure or a mysterious face! Something beyond the window which we can't see clearly could easily be causing an odd shadow that sort of looks like it could maybe be a face, and the shadow figure has already been explained.

It's my impression that there were far, far worse things happening at Pennhurst than simply being allowed to just sit and stare out a window. Seems an odd thing to complain about, really, in light of the rest of the abuse and neglect. I'm sure some of those kids would rather have been staring out a window.

...Not to mention, the chair might not have been in that position the last time someone sat in it. ;)

Dude... I think you guys are looking too hard, or maybe I just don't have enough imagination. I don't see a shadow figure, or a child, or anything like that. The thing at the bottom left of the window just looks like a big pillow to me. (Although I guess the photographer has said it's just the vulture, time-exposed, anyway. But it doesn't even look like a person at all to me.)

But anyway. I agree, beautiful shot, no matter what the thing is!