Old Building Infested by Moss-Like Posters

Have you noticed the moment a building is abandoned or ready for demolition, advertising posters immediately appear? In nature, moss, fungus, mold signifies of an abandoned or neglected building or structure.  In the city however, advertisers appear to move quicker and is a better indicator of a building not in use (you can see the moss slowly trying to catch up by working its way along the bottom and along the trim...) These old buildings are used as frames for  these glitzy new posters, breathing new life and function to these soon-to-be discarded structures. It is this juxtaposition that captures my attention...


I've gone back to this spot many times before to try and get a good shot but it never worked out. Either it's too dark or way too sunny (the left side of building faces north so when the sun is out, it's always in shadow while the west side is washed out in the sun). This day was perfectly cloudy, which means pretty even lighting, great for those of us who shoot buildings or people.

I also didn't want to get a cropped shot from across the street, wanting a barrel distortion look of a wide angle lens. It looks more dramatic. To get the shot I had to shoot from the middle of the street, being careful not to get plowed by passing vehicles. I shot at 24mm equivalent wide angle on my Panasonic LX-3. 

Things I would change? I wish those cars weren't there to the left. I would have to wait until the end of the day though, and by then it would be too dark. I also wish the blue washroom sign to the right wasn't there, nor the goofy coloured blue and red fire hydrant. I was going to monochrome both of those in PS, but decided to leave it for the sake of authenticity...