On Labor Day weekend, I was fortunate enough to join Denise Ippolito's first tour to the once famous Bethlehem Steel. Denise had gotten us access to an abandoned warehouse on the massive site of Bethlehem Steel. We were only allowed access to one extremely large warehouse (although we could walk around the public areas), but there was a treasure chest of objects to be found there. The warehouse was packed full with items, from fire engines to machinery to miscellaneous parts. The challenge was to find what you wanted to shoot and try to isolate the subject in a way that conveyed the abandonment of the plant.
Whenever I am in a situation like that, I look for two things: an interesting subject (at least to me) and, more importantly, the light. I spotted this wheel that I imagined to be on the side of a large boiler. What caught my attention was how the wheel was lit through the dirty windows above. The wheel's rust and age came to life for me then, and I might have walked right past it had it not been backlit.
For the best view, click on the image to see it against a dark background.