Photograph of a old school chair setting in an a abandoned school left to decay over the years.
The Abandoned Schoolhouse
Often time we look though decorating magazines on photos on-line and think of how pretty some places look, but we never think about after time goes by and the place has been unoccupied how it would look then. It too has its own form of beauty, objects from a new are transformed into antiquities of old. Time has a way of recovering everything back to the earth. Even though there are things such as stone that may retain some of its characteristics for well over 10,000 years, for the most part 50 years is all it will take to look like the photo above.
Built to last. Steel structures of sort last up to and sometime beyond 75 years.
The structure normally starts to fail when the roof is compromised or when water seeps into the building from the ground level. This causes softer cement to begin to deteriorate and calcify. With time and weather including freeze and thaw periods cracks bust open and iron oxidizes and pits. Soon the metal fatigues and weight stress cause sags, floor bolts come loose and structural collapse occurs in sections of the building. Normally, it begins with the top floors as the roof gives way, then the floor gives way and collapse down to the next level sometimes all the way to the bottom. Generally, mother nature is assisted by vandals and weather when doors and windows are broken out allowing the elements to come into the building.
Old homestead built to last.
I have been photographing old buildings for some time now but none of which have had such character as the old home pictured above. The home was modeled after a Spanish villa and all likely hood it was a Spanish Villa. The house had to have been built in the 1800's.
Old train bridge
From bridges to buildings and from houses to schools every thing perishes sometime. As a photographer I seize upon the opportunity to document the history and the state of condition the facility is, to include my own style of photography in between. A new passion has arrived called Urban Exploration, where people get out to explore these old sites, some are taggers or street artist who enjoy painting up things, and some are just there to photograph and have a good time. I find myself in the category with thrill seeker and photographer, hunting for that next place and that next shot.
No matter what your poison is you will find it, you just got to get out and go to that interesting place where you can find places to explore or take photos.
Photographers looking for good places to explore, most often it is better to look up information on the web, then just get out and do some driving. Each state have their own good places with landscapes and buildings, if your into the abandoned buildings then satellite views are exceptionally helpful when surveying a town. Look for the rusted or blacken roof tops, then zoom in to see what shape the roof is in. Likely those which have deterioration are no longer occupied. That may be a good indicator the facility has been abandoned. That doesn't mean that you may have access to it however. It is important to observe some rules prior to entering a old building. One if you can find the owner of the facility, try to get permission. Never brake into a location. Do dot act suspicious, people can see you wither your dressed all in black or in casual clothing. If you can not enter try the windows to see if you can see in, sometimes that is as close as you'll get. If the door is open then look inside, don't plan on staying there all day unless you do have permission to enter the location. The number one obstacle for people not wanting another person entering a facility is liability, they don't want someone to be injured on their site. Also, people don't want other people ransacking the building or structure or looting.
I have ran into people who don't mind if you go in to take photos but, they want to charge you a fee. Ask yourself is it worth it. If it was a big industrial site, a small fee or permit would be just fine. Sometimes these old sites are not located in the middle of a town, but out in the middle of no where or along side railroad tracks. Still the same cautions must be taken when going to any site to avoid being sited with trespassing.
Safety cautions:
Photo depicts fallen debris and indicates structural failure in numerous stages.
Old buildings are filled up with hazards unbeknownst to those would be thrill seekers. Roofs can cave in, floors can be weak, walls could be sagging, mold, lead based paint and even asbestos can be present in old buildings. The most prevalent hazard to the explorer or photographer is weak floors and stair cases. Always try before you proceed, spongy floors or sagging floors may indicate serious problems in some cases the entire floor level may be weak and may not be safe to enter. However, that doesn't mean the tour ends. If there is a large presents of birds or other critters about then you may think about the roof being compromised and also think about wearing a protective mask, at least an industrial dust mask, preferably one that gives the most protection. Gloves are not always needed but it is a good idea to where pants and long sleeve shirts or over jacket to protect arms and legs against scratches. Where good shoes those that give good support and protection against nails or glass and the like. The single most important thing to do is "BE OBSERVANT" don't fall into holes. May sound crazy right, however I have walked around buildings on the outside and came right up on areas where their was holes in the ground, also holes filled with water which made them look like a small puddle of water. Inside of buildings there are often places where sections of the floor are missing or wood or carpet over holes. Stairwells can pull away from the walls or be deteriorated to a degree where a person can step through.
Stairwell cover with wall plaster which once covered the masonry brick.
Photography and exploration enjoy the benefits of time aged buildings or locations and the stories you tell are all your own. Sometimes there are clues left to try to figure out what the location or building was used for; making people in to amateur archaeologist searching for answers. Personally, I just live getting the photos, and putting my perspective on them. I want to allow the people out there that view my photos to be able to see it as I do and form their own opinions.
Whatever it is your into that time and weather has played to your benefit, remember there is allot of ground to be covered in this relatively new field of searching histories mysteries..
Please feel free to comment back to me.
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Oklahoma Photo Exploration
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