The “Abandoned” theme is one of my favorites! At one time, I was very interested in exploring old abandoned places, underground sites, factories, facilities... They hold so many secrets and adventures!
“The Hexagon Space” is one of my favorite photo. In the Russian Far East, there is Sakhalin Island. During the first half of the last century, part of Sakhalin belonged to Japan. After the end of World War II, the entire island became part of the USSR. However, many buildings and facilities constructed by the Japanese remained for a long time, and some still exist today.
This photograph was taken inside an old Japanese water tower. It is no longer in use, but the concrete is of such excellent quality that I think the tower will remain standing for many more decades.
I took this photo in 2006 with a simple Olympus C-170 compact camera, f/2.8, 1/30 sec, ISO 114.
11 comments posted
Richard Stauber
An interesting history. This was a good choice to make monochrome, it makes the place look more bleak and desolate. I think the quality of the image suffers some from the shortcomings of digital cameras back 20 or more years ago. Generally speaking, blown out areas such as the windows and parts of the walls should be avoided. Posted: 10/09/2026 19:56:35
Oleg Mamaev
Richard thanks for advice! Posted: 10/19/2026 14:02:20
Norman Lemon
Oleg
Thanks for the short history lesson it nice to know other countries history .
I love old film cameras and still use them .
Nice record shot .
Posted: 10/18/2026 19:45:24
Oleg Mamaev
Norman, thanks! Posted: 10/19/2026 14:02:53
Marilyn Ross
Very interesting shot. I do like the angle, and the photo in monochrome makes it more effective. Again, thank for the history lesson. Posted: 10/18/2026 23:42:31
Oleg Mamaev
Marilyn thank you :-) Posted: 10/19/2026 14:03:21
Jill Attaway
Oleg - thanks for sharing a bit of history about the island and the occupation of Japan during WWII. Also, great image for this month's theme.
How did you happen to visit this place? Is it open for tourism?
I like the photo and B&W editing. If it were my photo, I might try rotating the image to see if another perspective could be more effective. My eyes keep moving to the bottom right area. How might it look to rotate the image where that area is at the top? Posted: 10/19/2026 21:02:35
Oleg Mamaev
Now the general situation in the world is such that it is very difficult to travel between countries. But Sakhalin itself is open to tourists, just like any other part of Russia. There are some problems with infrastructure and hotels, but tourists can still get here. Buy a ticket and fly :-) Posted: 10/20/2026 06:25:05
Joan Funk
You certainly had to hold on tight to your camera. No chance to retrieve it if it fell. Great that you were able to take the photo from directly above. Good conversion to monochrome except for the blown out areas. Could you lower the distracting "whites" and make it easier to view? Posted: 10/20/2026 12:19:03
Oleg Mamaev
Hi Joan!
No, that's not it! :-)
This is a photograph from below upwards. I was standing below, and the water tank was above me. The hexagon is the bottom of the tank above me. White rectangles are windows in the walls of the tower.
And if I had dropped the camera, it would have just fallen on my forehead :-) Posted: 10/20/2026 12:55:20
Joan Funk
Oleg, thanks for explaining. That makes a lot more sense Posted: 10/20/2026 15:04:02
