Last year I started a photo project where I wanted to search for and photograph abandoned buildings and homes. I find these locations very interesting and decided that I wanted to seek out and photograph these locations so I could document them while they were still standing. My idea was to find 10-15 choice locations and re-visit them every year to see if they were still there, torn down, or replaced. Of course I would photograph them every year so I could see the differences.
I was out and about yesterday and decided to re-visit a few of those locations where I shot last year. The top image was from March of 2009 with my Leica M8 and 28 Elmarit at F4. It was titled “Left Behind” as I imagined that this may have been another casualty of the housing crisis. When I took the image last year I remembered thinking that this house must have been pretty nice at one time. I imagined nice landscaping with kids in the front yard playing and even a dog running around chasing squirrels. Sadly, the house was just left to sit and rot and I wish I knew the real story as to why that happened.
The bottom image was from yesterday, Jan 22nd 2010 with my Leica M9 and 35 Summarit at 2.5. It was cold, grey and raining and you can tell from looking at the image. Isn’t it amazing what almost a year will do to an abandoned house? The roof has deteriorated, the doors have completely fallen off and there have been quite a few areas with deterioration. The front door is wide open now but I did not have the guts to go inside as it did not look too safe. I do plan on going back to this location every year so I will re-visit again in 2011. This is a part of my ongoing “rural landscape” five year project. Enjoy!
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I was checking out your pics of the house you posted and it totally looks like faces in the window that’s to the left of the front door in the top right window pane. In one pic I see one face and the other pic I see 2 or 3 faces. I was hoping to post screen shots but apparently I can’t upload pics to the comments. So hopefully you can see what I am talking about. Or maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me.
Abandoned dilapidated houses are so beautiful! Why is that? 🙂
Hey Amy,
Thanks! Yea, this house was creepy and I did not really get too close even though that open door was calling my name. Maybe one day I will build up the nerve. It’s obvious others have been inside as there is more junk in the yard now. Thanks again for the comments!
Like you Steve, I’m always dying to go inside locations like this but can never work up the guts… a while back I was in pennsylvania going around shooting with my aunt and we came across an old abandoned mill-type house/building. I couldn’t work up the guts to go in, while my 55 year old aunt climbed onto an old oil drum and went in like it was nothing! LOL
Love your project and look forward to seeing more… What a great old house this one is!
Thanks Per!
Glendyn, yes I wish I had a picture of it back when it was in good shape, or even when it was built. That would be very cool!
I love this kind of project, where time and patience are the essential ingredient. It would have been great if you had a picture of the house in it’s hey day.
I like project. Its a moody theme and it get your imagination going like you describe. Some hard work put into the house at one time.
Yeah, the new damage doesn’t look all that natural, especially the way some of the junk is arranged on the front lawn. It’s being helped along by people. Interesting nonetheless.
Looks like someone ate through the roof… the ladders have been blown away, although there are some window panels in the 2nd picture, some wood and an oil barrel…