Hower specializes in photography of graffiti and abandoned properties, and it was one of his photographs that captured the attention of the State Museum of Pennsylvania and earned him first prize for photography/digital media in the 56th annual Art of the State juried exhibition.

The annual exhibition showcases the work of Pennsylvania’s artists, encompassing media like photography, painting, sculpture and crafts. This year, Hower is the only Cumberland County artist to earn an award, though other award-winning Midstate artists this year include David Kasparek of Harrisburg, Doug Nicotera of Hummelstown, Joh Ricci of Gettysburg and Joseph Roach of Manheim.

Hower took some time with The Sentinel to reflect on his win and his career.

Q: How long have you been a photographer, and how did you get involved with abandoned and graffiti photography?

A: I have been involved in photography for the past 12 years. I originally went to school for art, drawing and painting. I decided after a few years of that course of study that this wasn’t really what I wanted, and I felt as if I was losing my passion for making art. When I had stopped, I was working in collage. Fast forward a number of years and I have my first child, and as he was becoming interested in art, it started to rekindle in me. Looking for material to use, I grabbed my wife’s point-and-shoot. It was through traversing the alleys of my neighborhood I found this wonderfully dilapidated garage that had been pieced together over the years to keep it standing. It was beautiful. They since tore it down. My second epiphany was the discovery of the old Michter’s Distillery in Lebanon County. After that I was sold. I returned to collage, but the full transition to photography took place when I realized that the photos I was using were better than the finished collages.

Q: What is it about abandoned places that you find interesting to photograph?

A: Visually, I love the way things decay. I love the textures and natural compositions that are formed as things fall apart. It’s interesting to see the process play out as the elements creep their way into a building. Intellectually, I love the stories involved with places. I’m not into a random, abandoned house along the road; I need a place that is not only appealing visually but one that has a story that appeals to my mind. There has to be something to talk about.

Q: What are some of the places you’ve photographed?

A: I’ve been to over a hundred different places in the Northeast and down the East Coast from Pennsylvania ghost towns, like Concrete City and Centralia. My series of Graffitiscapes took me from the Trolley Graveyard, Pennsylvania, to Graffiti Alley in Baltimore, among many places. I’m currently into a series of prisons, “Transparency” being one of those photos. So, for that series, I’ve been to Eastern State in Philly, SCI Cresson in Altoona, West Virginia Penitentiary and two trips in the last year have taken me to the Ohio Reformatory and Brushy Run in Tennessee. Other interesting places I’ve been to include the Ellis Island Hospital for Contagious Diseases, the abandoned Presidents Heads in Virginia and Carrie Furnace in Pittsburgh.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about your winning photograph, ‘Transparency’?

A: “Transparency” was shot at SCI Cresson near Altoona. It was shot in a basement exam room of the medical ward. I was fortunate enough to have made five trips there. I know the property intimately, and it’s one of my favorite places I’ve ever been; a place where I’ve been able to develop a full series just about that site.

Technical info: the picture is what is done in a style called HDR, standing for High Dynamic Range. The point of that process being to get good details in the lights and the darks. I shoot three shots: one at normal exposure, one two stops of light brighter and another at two stops of light darker. Then I merge them in the computer and from that I proceed to work on the image digitally, performing the same tasks on the computer as you would physically in a darkroom with film. Another interesting fact about the process is because the three shots were long exposures, I ran in and out of the frame to open and close the curtain in order to get that ghosting effect.

Historical info: Cresson was a tuberculosis hospital first, then briefly a mental institution before becoming a prison in the 1980s. It was shut down in 2013 for budget cuts, but really it was for bad press because the prison had come under scrutiny from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division about its high suicide rate, mainly among prisoners who were mentally ill. They were being put into programs of forced isolation with no contact or belongings for months to years. When they “graduated” to contact and social situations, they were made to perform embarrassing tasks. The chief psychiatrist was later stripped of his license. This is an example of what I mentioned earlier: visually interesting, intellectually interesting.

Q: If given the chance, what locations would you like to photograph?

A: Chernobyl would have to be the top of my dream list. Some of those hopes of going there have been dashed in light of Russia’s invasion.

Holmesburg Prison in Philly is another one. It has been done by others, but access has been not been granted for years. I’d love to get there.