I've been into exploring abandoned and derelict places for a while now. I guess it started when i was young. As a kid i used to play around in abandoned warehouses in the old shipyard area of my home village (Wivenhoe, UK), and as i got older my friends and I would use the same old warehouses to build ramps to ride our bmxs in. Those warehouses are gone now, along with the history of the shipyard buildings, and have been replaced with modern disposable housing. But the memories remain.



My rekindled interest in photography has drawn me back to abandoned places and i have now visited quite a few. I enjoy the exploring and discovering of buildings and objects that most people don't care about. There is a lot of history and memories to be found in these places. They have a certain feel and atmosphere that you can't find elsewhere. These places sometimes seem like it is the end of the world and you are exploring what is left. Strange noises can be heard and your imagination can create what is not necessarily there. Scary, dark, edgy, uneasy feelings are common, but these feelings make you feel alive!

Photographers are not the only people interested in abandoned buildings. Other people urban explorers are likely to meet include people who are there to "collect" scrap metal for resale - sometimes known as "pikeys". Bmx riders or skateboarders making use of the undercover areas for building ramps. People who are there just to cause damage, arson and general nuisance. Homeless people with nowhere else to go. Drug users. And security guards who may or may not appreciate you being there. Be careful out there