Urban explorers enter abandoned tunnels armed with flashlights, cameras and tripods. They explore and document vacant industrial buildings before wrecking crews demolish them. Sometimes they seek permission. Sometimes they don’t.
It’s not known how many urban explorers, or urbexes, are currently stalking derelict buildings and structures. What is known is that many of them are comparing their expeditions through social networking sites and blogs. The Urban Explorers website has had over one million visitors.
The Attraction
The explorers are curious about what is hidden behind faded brick facades and will seek an unobtrusive passageway to the inside. Ambient light filtering in through dusty windows to illuminate forgotten times makes this arrangement a photographer’s dream.
Once the urbexes are safely extracted from the ruins, they usually photoshop their captures for dramatic effects. Many photography exhibits and websites display the beauty of decaying architecture.
Popular places to snap the shutter are dying industrial sites, abandoned buildings, empty churches and castles, old bridges, the remnants of amusement parks, utility tunnels, subways and other cast-offs from once thriving metropolises.
The main attraction appears to be how photographers can sneak into forbidden places and steal their inner secrets to reveal to the outside world.
Safety
There is always an element of risk when one enters a dilapidated building or tunnel. It could collapse and trap the explorer. Dry-rotted floors could disintegrate. Ancient wrought-iron fire escapes could give way. And tunnels may crumble, flood, or emit dangerous methane or carbon monoxide gases.
An additional danger is that homeless people may be encamped in the bowels of decaying buildings. As these people are living on the edge and may have alcohol or drug problems, they should be avoided.
The Law
Most old buildings are owned by somebody and post no trespassing signs. If caught on private property, breaking and entering, and trespassing laws can carry fines or jail terms. Asking permission before documenting a site is the preferred way to get on the inside.
Some landowners will allow photo journalists to capture the historic remains of their properties, however, many will not due to injury liabilities. In some cases, the landowner may accompany the urban explorer and relay the history of the properties, and this can be worth its weight in gold.
These are what accomplished urbexes are saying about their hobby.
“I went in to take photographs, as I do when I visit any old sites. I love to wander round these old buildings because in many cases, they will soon be gone and forgotten,” said Garry Etchells of Meltham, England, as quoted in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.
“I never break into a place, it is always open to wander in. And my motto is take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints,” said Etchells.
"We look for anything interesting you can capture in a photo," said Zach Fein of Fairfield, Ohio, USA, who was exploring an old subway hidden in the underbelly of Cincinnati.
Nelson Shogren - Nelson Shogren spends a large amount of time outdoors, paddling kayaks and canoes, hiking, backpacking, camping, road and mountain biking, ...
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