Matthew Christopher / abandonedamerica.us

Photograph taken at the Angeronia Medical Center.

Reporter's notebook by Jane Derenowski, NBC News

Things sound different in a place where no one goes.   

Words echo off walls in empty rooms.  

Real or imagined creatures scurry through mysterious puddles.  

Shadows fall in strange places. 

Time doesn’t stop in abandoned buildings, it just moves differently -- and before their ultimate demise, photographer Matthew Christopher is determined to document the life, purpose, and deterioration of these structures.

They aren't just brick and mortar, wood and windows -- Christopher believes the abandoned buildings dotting America’s landscape also have something of a soul.  He wants us to remember our country’s neglected factories, schools, churches, and hospitals before they are gone forever.

He started this project 10 years ago while working in the mental health field.  Some of his first photographs were inside a deserted asylum.  

Matthew Christopher / abandonedamerica.us

Photograph taken at Harmony House Inn.

Matthew Christophe / abandonedamerica.us

Photograph taken at Galilee Steel administrative offices.

Since then, he’s documented dozens of abandoned buildings across the country and presented their stories at galleries and on his website, abandonedamerica.us.  The goal, he says, is to highlight the economic failures leading to their downfall and the social impact on communities fractured by the closing of these neighborhood mainstays.

We met recently at the partially deserted Holmesburg Prison near Philadelphia.  It was eerie, but there was a certain beauty in the stillness and things left behind.  Inside, it reminded me of a quote by French composer Claude Debussy who famously said, “Music is the space between the notes.” The places Christopher photographs tell their stories with silence and extraordinary light – the spaces between the life and death of a building. 

His pictures make me feel like someone told me a secret. 

Christopher is a thoughtful man, melancholy in his assessment of decay -- and I feel lucky he shared his art and technique with us.  I am also grateful to NBC News photographer Bob Riggio for documenting our adventure inside a place almost no one goes.

Matthew Christopher / abandonedamerica.us

Photograph taken at First National Bank.

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News commentary

Those who have been in combat will testify to the catastrophic insults to the body that modern weapons can inflict. War is horrifying, and nothing can prepare the novice for the destruction that it can cause. Nor do we easily get used to the images of it, and they stay with us forever.

Recently released by the Los Angeles Times, the grisly photos of soldiers posing with the remains of dead Taliban fighters  have raised a variety of observations: From the notion that they are similar to the harmless pranks of adolescents to the assessment that their publication will be a catastrophe for the American mission in Afghanistan.

As with most extremes, neither is the case. We should also reject the argument that this incident, the burning of Korans and the deliberate murder of women and children, such as those allegedly carried out by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, are all the same. 

No excuses
Here are the facts: The pictures are about two years old and were of Taliban fighters killed when a bomb they were putting into position detonated prematurely. The photos were sent to the Times by someone who said he wanted to highlight the threat to our troops caused by the poor leadership of the unit, a part of the 82nd Airborne Division.

But, although the Times suggested that the concern was merely inadequate physical security rather than a climate of generally weak discipline, it is the latter issue that is the most striking.

When the Times notified the Defense Department that it had the photos, the Pentagon asked the paper not to publish them, arguing that they would incite the enemy to attack Americans. The Times responded that it had an obligation to publish them, citing their readers' right to be informed.

In my view, both the Defense Department and the newspaper are full of baloney: The Taliban don't need any encouragement to attack us, and a big part of the motivation of the Los Angeles Times is to sell newspapers.

More nuanced has been comment from some quarters that the troops, who were mugging for the camera, were letting off the steam that accumulates under the duress of war; that their actions were in response to having lost buddies to the mindless ferocity of the Taliban.

While these are understandable reasons, they are not excuses, of course, and the paratroopers' actions were publicly decried by government officials. Many cited long-standing rules, promulgated after similarly embarrassing episodes, stating that such antics are impermissible.

Lack of leadership
But the truth is that you can't merely legislate against dumb behavior. In and out of combat, good units get that way because they are well led.

Poor leadership can create poor units in a very short period of time, particularly under stress. While good leadership can bring any organization through the most horrendous circumstances with only physical scars.

The leadership of the brigade in the 82nd that is at the center of this photo controversy was evidently already known as weak by the chain-of-command above it. There are many military organizations that have endured more harrowing circumstances with less damage to discipline.

It is not easy being a leader in uniform, but there is a responsibility attached to it that is found nowhere else in society. Military service is a sacrifice and those who volunteer for it are our patriots. But service is no game, and because so much is at stake, standards of deportment must be extremely high.

We are frequently reminded of it, but it bears repeating nonetheless: a commander is responsible for everything that happens or fails to happen in his unit, and it is he who sets the standards in his organization. Accepting less than professional behavior will minimize the service and sacrifice of those who have taken seriously their responsibilities as the guardians of our freedom.

Col. Jack Jacobs was awarded the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty” in the battle he describes above. His first assignment in the Army, in 1966-1967, was in Company C, 2nd Battalion (Airborne) 505th Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division, the same division as the troops in this incident.

Click here to read the complete Medal of Honor citation. 

He is the author of a memoir: “If Not Now, When? Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need”

Reuters and AP

An undated photo released by the Martin family public relations representative shows Trayvon Martin, who was shot and killed at age 17. George Zimmerman, right, is pictured in this 2005 police photo taken after the now-28-year-old allegedly assaulted an officer. The charge was later dropped.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- When he was shot, Trayvon Martin was not the baby-faced boy in the photo that has been on front pages across the country. And George Zimmerman wasn't the beefy-looking figure in the widely published mugshot.

Both photos are a few years old and no longer entirely accurate. Yet they may have helped shape initial public perceptions of the deadly shooting.

"When you have such a lopsided visual comparison, it just stands to reason that people would rush to judgment," said Kenny Irby, who teaches visual journalism at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The most widely seen picture of Martin, released by his family, was evidently taken a few years ago and shows a smiling, round-cheeked youngster in a red T-shirt. But at his death, Martin was 17 years old, around 6 feet tall and, according to his family's attorney, about 140 pounds.

Trayvon Martin case: Mayor says police resisted release of 911 tapes

Zimmerman, 28, is best known from a 7-year-old booking photo of an apparently heavyset figure with an imposing stare, pierced ear and facial hair, the orange collar of his jail uniform visible. The picture, released by police following the deadly shooting, was taken after Zimmerman's 2005 arrest on an assault-on-an-officer charge that was eventually dropped.

In a police video made public this week of Zimmerman being brought in for questioning a half-hour after the shooting, the 5-foot-9 man appears much slimmer.

In a case that has caused a nationwide furor over race and the laws of self-defense, Martin was shot to death by Zimmerman in the city of Sanford on Feb. 26 as the unarmed black teenager was walking back from a convenience store.

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer whose father is white and whose mother is Hispanic, has claimed self-defense, saying he opened fire after Martin punched him in the face, knocked him to the ground and began slamming his head on the sidewalk.

Black leaders and others are demanding Zimmerman's arrest on murder or manslaughter charges, but state and federal authorities are still investigating.

Betsi Grabe, a professor at Indiana University-Bloomington who has studied the effect of news images on public opinion, said photos that gain the most traction play into the desires of both journalists and the public for a story with a distinct victim and aggressor.

theGrio: Trayvon Martin's parents must grieve in the spotlight

"At the center of most stories we tell in our society, cross-culturally and across the centuries, is the struggle between good and evil," she said. "If the ingredients are there, that is what journalists will grab onto and present."

Grabe said it is natural to present the most innocent-looking image of the person believed to be the victim, and the most menacing one of the suspect.

A more complex portrait of the two figures has emerged since then. A photo of a beaming Zimmerman looking sharp in a jacket and tie has come out, along with a more recent picture of Martin, with gold teeth and a white sleeveless undershirt. At the same time, it was learned that Martin had been suspended from school for marijuana residue in his backpack.

The Associated Press has not been able to verify the sources or creators of what are purported to be more recent photographs of Martin circulating online and elsewhere. The family's attorney has not released the photos.

"Everyone's views seem to be gyrating back and forth with each new scrap of evidence that comes out," said David O. Markus, a prominent Miami defense attorney. "This is why we have courts and juries, and why the process is slow. No one should rush to judgment."

Gordon Coonfield, a communications professor at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, said the early perceptions of Zimmerman as a vigilante may ultimately have no bearing on the case.

He cited the case of Rodney King, the black motorist beaten two decades ago by white Los Angeles police officers in an episode captured on video. The officers were acquitted in state court, though two were later found guilty on federal charges.

"I think the nation felt quite certain it saw the truth of what happened to Rodney King, and the DA tried the case as if the images spoke for themselves," Coonfield said. "Yet the state criminal court decided the images were not self-evidently true. The defense won by offering a more convincing explanation of the images, focusing on what could not be seen - officers' motives, reasoning, and judgment."

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We asked msnbc.com users to share images of Hurricane Irene, from their preparations to the storm itself to the aftermath.  Are you in Irene's path? Share photos, if it's safe to do so.

Here's a sampling of pictures we've received so far:

Updated August 29, 2:50 p.m. ET

Submitted by Danielle Rochford / UGC

Bike riders hit a detour

Submitted by Danielle Rochford / UGC

A canoe going down Albany Street in New Brunswick

Danielle Rochford of New Brunswick, N.J., writes:

A stroll down Albany Street and Route 18 in New Brunswick. Two typically busy streets now shut down due to flooding.

Submitted by Niles Weiss / UGC

Hurricane Irene
Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA Sunday AM
The Manayunk Brewery restaurant

Submitted by Niles Weiss / UGC

Hurricane Irene
Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA Sunday AM

Submitted by Niles Weiss / UGC

Hurricane Irene
Manayunk, Philadelphia, PA Sunday AM

Niles Weiss of the Manayunk neighborhood of Pennsylvania, Pa., writes:

Went out 10am after Hurricane Irene.  Rivers crested in the Manayunk area of Philadelphia at around 3pm Sunday.

Submitted by Anna Malyszka / UGC

Submitted by Anna Malyszka / UGC

Submitted by Anna Malyszka / UGC

Anna Malyszka writes: 

Standing in the middle of an eerie and desolate Rt. 1 in Lawrenceville NJ on Sunday Aug. 28, 2011 after Hurricane Irene. Want to "Eat at Joe's?"

Submitted by ROBERT LUPANO / UGC

Sign advertising Scuba Diving on the corner of Rochelle ave and Essex street in Rochelle park NJ.

Submitted by ROBERT LUPANO / UGC

Railroad ave, Rochelle Park NJ

Robert Lupano documented the flooding in Rochelle Park, N.J.

Submitted by Melissa Smith / UGC

McCotters Marina after Irene
Located in Washington, NC

Melissa Smith sent in this photo of post-Irene damage at McCotters Marina in Washington, N.C.

Submitted by Micah Bingham / UGC

New Bern, NC. Flood waters passed over the top of our chain-linked fence.

Micah Bingham of New Bern, N.C., sent us this image of water swamping her family's yard.

Submitted by Kim Thompson / UGC

Staples Parking Lot in Bristol, CT

Kim Thompson of Terryville, Conn., writes: 

Bristol, CT was not as hard hit as other areas of the state, but this location of the city was.  The low lying area pictured here flooded and caused the Copper Mine Brook to swell.

Submitted by Kathy Merrill / UGC

Tree on Home in Va Beach neighborhood.

Submitted by Kathy Merrill / UGC

Tree on Home in Va Beach neighborhood.

Kathy Merrill of Virginia Beach, Va., writes: 

These two homes are two doors down from each other in Virginia Beach, Va. The trees both fell Saturday evening during Irene.  The neighborhood is about 13 miles from the Va. Beach Ocean Front and no one was injured in either home.

Submitted by jeffrey dady / UGC

High tides, and wind, brings the sea , to the front door.

Submitted by jeffrey dady / UGC

Homes fall into the water in Jamaica Bay.

Submitted by jeffrey dady / UGC

Flooding on jamaica bay.

Jeffrey Dady of New York, N.Y., submitted a series of photos of flooding in Broad Channel, Queens. 

Submitted by Mark Thompson / UGC

Car Wash Rt. 140 Franklin, MA.

Mark Thompson snapped this photo of an uprooted tree outside a car wash in Franklin, Mass.

Picture from Andrew Connolly of New York City, who writes: Benches under water on the East River jogging path next to Stuytown in the Stuytown Cove.

Oleksandra Struk of Springfield, N.J., submitted this photo.

Photo from Marianne Leanza, Sloatsburg, N.Y.: Taken Sunday afternoon on 8/28/11. No way in or out of Sloatsburg. Seven Lakes Drive closed. Route 17 North and South closed. Screened porch washed down Park Avenue to the corner of Route 17.

MSN's Don Sena describes the scare that led to the above photo: "The bulk of the storm came through my area of New Jersey (Town: Shrewsbury, County: Monmouth) very early this morning.  By around 6 p.m. it was quite sunny and kids were playing and many neighbors were out talking and cleaning up their yards. We had minimal damage at our house. But, at around 6 pm, a massive tree fell in my backyard. The tree was about 80 feet or so and as it fell it took down two other trees and some big limbs -- and crushed my kids' play structures.  We were about to go in our backyard when this happened, but nobody was hurt. I think the important issue here is: Even when the storm has passed you by and it is sunny out, trees could still be vulnerable due to the ground saturation and weakening from earlier winds."

Photo from TJ Kennedy in New York: Sign for locals waiting for Hurricane Irene at the Harlem Tavern on 116th Street and Frederick Douglas Boulevard.

Joshua Wagner shows Hurricane Irene ripping up a tree in Jacksonville, NC.

 Strange foamy surf before Hurricane Irene's arrival on Long Beach, NY. Sent by Lisa Combs

My silly neighbor succumbs to the panic! Sent by Arnie Gonzalez in Elmhurst, NY

 Water up to boardwalk in Seaside Heights, N.J., sent by Tom Welsh

A photo of East Carolina University, in Greenville, NC from Katie Andrews.

"Calm" before the storm? Hell's Kitchen resident Angelo Guglielmo shares this picture of himself (in the blue shirt) after he ran into a group of tourists and New Yorkers mobbing a marching band that was playing through Times Square at 2p.m. Saturday. "It was hilarious," he said. "Times Square seemed to be the only neighborhood that didn't have everybody buying flashlights."

Nandy N. submitted a photo of the famous Bloomingdale's store windows boarded up.

Ellen Jacob shares a photo of the Apple Store on 68th and Broadway in New York City Saturday morning. Good old fashioned sandbags were placed in hopes of protecting the store from flooding.

A reader sends us this picture around 3:30p.m. ET of the signage in front of Manhattan Bridge.

Courtney from Ohio forwarded this photo her husband sent her. He works for the utility company First Energy, and has been in Baltimore all week as part of mobilized backup crews in anticipation of massive power outages from Hurricane Irene. He took this photo atop a 70 foot bucket truck of all the line trucks that have been organized and are awaiting the storm.

Frank Schweiger sent in this photo of Virginia Beach, Va., on Saturday.

Lena Blair submitted this photo of a momentary break in the rain as flash floods roared in Camden Country, N.C., on Saturday.

Kyle Fulk

Kyle Fulk submitted this photo of a tree that fell in front of his fraternity house at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday.

Lindsey LaMarre from Chesapeake, Va., witnessed trees shaking in the wind:

So many leaves! We are getting a lot of rain and wind. Also many branches down.

Lindsey LaMarre

Baltimore resident Samay Gheewala captured ominous clouds over the harbor on Saturday as Irene neared:

Irene's first band coming in over Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Samay Gheewala

Pilot Daniel Cope from New York sent in this radar image from his cockpit: 

Radar image of Irene from the cockpit as I fly my plane from Long Island to safety in Pittsburgh. My airplane is over central PA flying from Republic Airport on Long Island. 

Daniel Cope

As Irene made its way north, Laurie Ansell of Virginia Beach, Va., snapped a shot of the ocean getting choppy: 

11:00am, Taken in Virginia Beach, VA off 42th Street. Water swirling from force.

Laurie Ansell

After Irene's arrival in North Carolina Saturday morning, Veronica Luna from Hubert sent in this image: 

Everything seems to be getting better in Hubert, N.C.

Veronica Luna

Theresa Torralva of Virginia Beach, Va., spotted a hair salon preparing for the worst on Friday evening - the worst hair day, that is:

Theresa Torralva

Rebecca Pesko of Emerald Island, N.C., captured waves crashing against Bouge Inlet Pier on Emerald Isle. She offered this report Friday afternoon: 

A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for Emerald Isle, N.C.  An 8 p.m. curfew is in effect for all residents who chose to stay.  In the last three hours, the ocean has changed dramatically as the hurricane swells approach.  

Rebecca Pesko

Bouge Inlet Pier in Emerald Isle, N.C.

Test credit

The waves of Irene pound the Crystal Coast of Emerald Isle, N.C.

Sarah Harker Leary of Morehead City, N.C., shared this picture of ominous rain clouds bearing down on the coast.

Sarah Harker Leary

Hurricane Irene nears Atlantic Beach, N.C.

Curt Landry of Boynton Beach, Fla., captured this image as Irene passed by on Thursday.

Curt Landry

The outer band of Hurricane Irene seen from Boynton Beach, Fla., on Aug. 25.

 Frank Goodman of Orlando, Fla., describes how he built a hurricane shelter for his family:

I built this 5x5 ft hurricane room anchored with 1/2 inch rebar to a concrete floor. I placed the rebar every 2 ft in the walls and filled each cell with concrete. I placed a 4 inch metal celling on the room anchored to the walls (under the room's roof). The metal door is lock and deadbolt, reinforced with 2x4's when the door is shut. A peep hole allows us to see outsid the room. We stock the room with supplies. The room has electric lighting (backed up with battery lights), a hard wire telephone, vents, bench, and emergency supplies. A portable generator is stationed out side the main room and bolted to the concrete floor. The room is finished with drywall and painted blending in with the rest of the room.  

Frank Goodman, Orlando, Fla.

Hurricane room anchored with 1/2 inch rebar to a concrete floor.

 Carey Piascik of New York told us the Fairway grocery store on Manhattan's Upper West side was so overrun by customers stocking up on supplies on Friday that new shipments of food had to be left on the sidewalk.

Carey Piascik

Stocking up

 Krystianna Thompson of Nassau, Fla., described the damage wrought by Irene in the Bahamas.

These pictures were taken Aug. 26 at about 7:45 a.m., the day after Hurricane Irene pummeled the Bahamas. Utility workers and clean-up crews have not yet had a chance to clean up Irene's mess. The streets remain busy with some people returning to work and others driving around to witness the aftermath of Irene's destruction on our little island.

 

Krystianna, Thompson

Utility pole and street light barely holding on after being snapped by hurricane Irene's gusts in New Providence, Bahamas.

Krystianna Thompson

Street light downed and broken by Irene's wrath in New Providence, Bahamas.

Submit your photos at firstperson.msnbc.com and firstperson@msnbc.com.