Pre-Production (Centralia; North Brother Island).

The decision came to do a test run of our documenting skills and partnership. The way we see it, we could either ask for fans, support, donations and word-of-mouth advertising with nothing to show and just promise it'll rock...or dig deep in our own pockets and beta test the process at two locations. That way, we can compile the photography, resources, experiences and interviews into a couple free samples and root ourselves firmly in the upper echelon of feature photojournalism, or microapocalyptic creative non-fiction or whatever the Hell it is we're doing here.

So where should we go? I live in Virginia; Ashleigh lives in upstate New York. The logical choice, then, is to putt around New England working our magic on the 13 colonies' catastrophe locations. Once we narrowed it down to such a small geographic region, it was a simple matter of choosing which ghosts to chase. There was the Boston Molasses Flood of 1919, but the only aftermath of that is that on a hot summer's day, some Bostonians claim to detect a sticky-sweet fragrance in the air, and it's remarkably difficult to take pictures of a smell.

After following a couple dead-end leads, it came down to Centralia, PA and North Brother Island, NY, to document the former's coal mine fire and evacuation and the latter's hospital-turned-ghost-town. Our safety, should one fall through, is Love Canal in Niagara Falls, NY, where a civilian township was built atop a former chemical dump site.

The final point of discussion was when to sojourn up north. In December I blurted out March or April while on iChat with my brother, and it just stuck. Since then we've narrowed it down to one of the last two weekends of March - either the 18th to the 21st or the 25th to the 28th.

So now, in the second week of February, the time has come to secure permission to shoot. A quick Google search led me to the website for Columbia County, PA, and a phone number for its conservation district. Their offices directed me to Centralia Borough [sic] Secretary John Likitos and Mayor Carl Womer, and provided phone numbers for each. Let's not call the mayor, I thought. Not yet. Maybe an interview down the way when I've gotten more research done.

Secretary Likitos was kind and nonchalant and gave us permission to shoot still photography and walk around through the town. "As long as you stay off private property, you won't be botherin' anyone," he told me. Journalism law claims that any photographs taken on a city street are in public domain - "Never walk around naked with your blinds open," our professor told us; "It's fair game." This means there is a large difference in legality between taking pictures on private property and taking pictures of private property.

At last, I called the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting in New York City. North Brother Island is technically a park and bird preservation site off Rikers Island, but I figured best to call the MOFTB first. The receptionist re-directed me to someone else, who placed me on hold just after decreeing "I don't believe you can film there; hang on." Juggling the baby in one hand and the phone in the other, I waited for her return.

"That's owned by the state, not us," she said. "Here's their number."

"No," the state said. "I'm not sure why they're so...short on the information today, but technically it's a part of Riker's Island, which is all city-owned property."

"Should I call them back, then?"

"Your best bet is to call the Parks Department. They'll be able to help you."

"Ok."

"But call the Mayor's Office back first. Ask for their contact in the Parks Department; it'll be faster that way."

"Ok."

I called back to the Mayor's Office and asked the receptionist for their contact in the Parks Department.

"Hold please."

I was transferred, then, to a new person, who told me they had no specific contact for the Parks Department but to go to http://www.nyc.gov/parks/film and fill out the form to request filming on park property. I felt a headache building deep in my left hemisphere.

I called the Parks Department and they told me the same thing. So I went to the site and filled out the request form. Right now I'm waiting to hear back from them; once we get the green light I can forward the approval back to the Mayor's Office and get a permit - let's hope it's one of those "8 to 10 business days" things and not a "8 to 12 weeks" thing. After that it's just a matter of securing transportation, which means a boat. I've always been pretty hydrophobic, and taking a dip in the East River near Rikers rates about a 9 on my terror factor, but it must be done.

I'd brave twice that for coverage of a bird's nest built atop a smokestack.