The Hustle: if you know it, you know it. It happens when your passion isn’t marketable, or your Plan A didn’t work out the way you thought it would, but you refuse to go silently into the night. It’s more than a hobby, and hopefully becomes more than a hustle. It’s also hard, so we like to highlight other guys burning that midnight oil—to let them share their passion, and to remind the rest of us that we aren’t the only ones on that.
Meet Jeff Gorski.
Jeff is a Chicago-based photographer and videographer, and a long-time friend of the Sable Fox crew. He came on a night hunt, recently, for the Beast of Bray Road, so if SFF had an official photographer it would definitely be Jeff.
He’s a true local. Jeff was born and raised in the West Chicago ‘burbs. And photos isn’t all he does. This guy can do video, illustration, and paint.
Other than … all that … Jeff spends his free time with his “lovely girlfriend,” Amy Ridolfi, and their two children.
And Silent Hill video games.
Also: that beard tho.
Okay, without further ado: here’s Jeff.
How did you get into photography in the first place?
So I got into photography for one simple reason: skateboarding. Skateboarding was my first passion in life and has shaped everything I do. I had been skateboarding my whole life, and once I hit my teen years I would sneak my dad’s camera gear out of the house to shoot my friends skating. My love for photos and film grew from there.
How did the focus on urban decay come about?
I think the focus on “urban decay” came from my skate mentality. When I was younger I would spend days driving in my car, looking for that perfect skate spot. Same goes with this I suppose. It’s a hunt and thrill: the idea that you are looking for these places to use in an unconventional way.
I think it goes deeper then that as well. There is something extremely fascinating about what we just leave behind. It is amazing to walk into an old school, hospital, house, etc., and just find everything left behind. It’s a surreal feeling that never gets old. These places seem to be frozen in time. It often feels like walking onto a movie set; I have never walked onto a movie set, but that’s one of the ways I would describe it.
There are so many different ways I could answer this question or explain my art. Without getting to deep, I am a recovering addict who chose very unconventional ways to get clean and stay sober. So part of all this is very narcissistic and is only for me. At the end of the day it makes me happy and helps me cope with my problems.
What is the process for these shots?
I am not sure I have a exact process yet. Each of these places has so many variables that can change my photos—lighting, tight spaces … the list goes on—so I tend to take a different approach with each place. I always have an end goal for what I want my shots to look like: a style, if you will.
As far as how I find the locations, I do loads of research—whether it be reading online about the history of a town, area, or specific building. But that’s not always the case; as I said earlier I also do lots of driving and scouting out towns and new areas. Sometimes I just stumble across a space.
I tend to look for areas with more history. (Don’t get me wrong: anything that is abandoned or left for dead catches my eye, but sometimes an old empty building just isn’t that interesting.) I like to look for places that have a story. Gary, Indiana, and Cairo, Illinois, are perfect examples of that. They were once thriving communities where people raised their families, worked long hours, and provided our country with much-needed services. Once their services were no longer needed, they were left for dead and went belly up.
Visiting a place like Cairo, Illinois, is an odd experience. It’s amazing to look at the buildings being reclaimed by mother nature. It’s an incredible sight, but at the same time one of the saddest places I have ever visited.
Has anything creepy/scary ever happened?
I was recently was exploring an old army base; this location is made up of many small buildings. I tend to shoot with multiple lenses—shooting wide in each building, then stopping to change lenses after clearing one and walking back through to shoot tighter, more in-depth shots.
Well each time I would clear a room I would hear very clear footsteps, and often talking, in the distance. I am not convinced this was a paranormal experience, but it was very odd. These buildings are set very far back in a very quiet area.
My other fear with some of these locations is to wind up in tight quarters with an animal such as a deer or skunk. I fear that would not end well.
Have you ever been arrested?
I haven’t been arrested or fined for trespassing yet. Fingers crossed. I have been confronted by authorities a few times now, and they are usually very relieved to find out I am only taking pictures. I am sure they are used to stopping vandalism, graffiti, or people using drugs in locations like this, so they usually just want to chat and explain the dangers. I have had a few encounters end with them letting me continue to explore.
Sometimes they just wanna talk about my beard. That’s where it usually goes. “How long did it take you to grow that?” and so on.
You kind of touched on this already, but is this anything else for you, besides pictures?
Absolutely. I won’t go too much further into it, but I find myself picking a spot in one of these locations and just sitting for a long period of time and listening. The buildings and structures have a way of talking.
Yeah, yeah that sounds lame, but it’s true. There is so much water coming into the structures, broken windows to allow air and sound to travel in the structures, along with the natural sounds of settling. There is something about this that amazes me. The first 30 minutes or so inside these structures, these sounds are frightening. Then they become wonderful and peaceful.
Have you learned anything bigger than photography while you’ve been doing this?
I would like to think I have learned a bit about myself. Or even if I haven’t learned anything about myself, that the time I have spent alone in these places has pushed me in a positive way and has been therapeutic in some odd way.
I think one thing I have learned about our society is how quickly we move on and sweep things under the rug. Lately, my focus has been on exploring abandoned schools and it amazes me what is left behind. We are always hearing about budget cuts in schools and school programs. Exploring some of these abandoned schools has been eye-opening, and I would like to think the images I have shot at these schools will speak for themselves.
If you had to pick your #1 shot, which would it be?
A few months back I was exploring some old train yards, and I found an old station building with a training manual for the conductors left open on a desk. Something about this image is haunting to me. I can picture people in the room taking care of their duties and living their lives. Even though they are all gone, the room waits for them to return.
Does urban decay photography pay the bills, or is it purely hustle?
Unfortunately it does not pay my bills, but I really hope someday it will. I am starting to get inquires about prints and showing my work in galleries, but I won’t hold my breath on that.
I am mainly shooting product photos for lots of local companies right now: that’s what is paying my bills—along with shooting other photos for companies’ social media, and taking any photo jobs that come my way! I am shooting for a few rad clothing brands, local bands, and artists.
Have you ever taken a piss on the urban decay? If so, did you feel like you were making some kind of profound socioeconomic statement at the time?
Yes, yes I have. This has happened a few times now. I like to think that I contributed to the decay. Now I am a part of the structure …
Follow Jeff on Instagram at @oxidized_glass.
Do you hustle? Shoot us an email at sablefoxforge [at] gmail [dot] com if you think your hustle is a good fit for SFF.
