April 28th, 2009
Konxari Photographer returns to Prison . . . Again and Again!
Award-winning photographer, Paul Michael Kane, who, earlier this year was featured in the paranormal card supplement, Konxari Cards, has just released a new book entitled Captured: The Ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary.

A nearly three-year long project, the book collects 72 photographs of the haunting prison, which was built in 1821 and shut down a hundred and fifty years later. Today, the location is a historic landmark, with annual haunted tours during Halloween and even a favorite Hollywood backdrop for actors like Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis.

“I first became aware of the prison from a show on the Travel Channel,” says Kane. “It was on one of those ghost hunting shows and while the program was mildly amusing, I was fascinated by what was being shown in the background and I knew I just had to shoot there.”

Kane's first visit to the Philadelphia-based penitentiary was in October of 2007 and he's returned several times since to capture the prison at different seasons.

“What is most amazing is that in only three decades or so, Mother Nature has already begun reclaiming her territory over the prison walls.” Some of the imagery captured by Kane indeed shows vines growing inside the prison cells and ivy crawling up the thirty foot perimeter walls.

Kane admits to being a life-long photography enthusiast. Earlier this year, 88 of his images – including some taken at Eastern State Penitentiary – were featured in a deck of paranormal cards called Konxari Cards (www.konxari.com). In fact, it's Kane's striking images from the prison that prompted officials at The IRM Foundation to commission the photographer on the card set.

Kane is also a acclaimed graphic designer and writer. His designs have been seen on novels, comic books and even a Star Wars Movie poster. He's written for such publications as the International Writers Open Forum and Art Scene International.

The book, published by Blurb.com, is printed 100-pound text paper with a silk finish to enhance the images printed on the paper. It is available in two editions, a soft cover and an image wrapped hardcover. There are plans on a rare slip cased, special edition for later this year. Each book is accompanied by a signed 5x7 print done on Kodak's Professional Endura Metallic paper.

A unique aspect of this photography book is a companion website that is listed in the book's introduction. The website will feature audio commentary for each image on the books pages – giving a brief talk about the subject and a look into the technical details of the photographs . . . perfect for history buffs and photographer junkies alike.

To find out more about Captured: The Ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary, Paul Michael Kane, or Konxari Cards, visit www.konxari.com or the photographer's official web site at www.paulmichaelkane.com.