I love abandoned places. And I love photographing places that have once been important to people, but are now abandoned and forgotten. Or not entirely forgotten. There are people like me, exploring old factories, ruins and houses that once meant something to someone. Explorers who prefer leaving things as they are. Not collecting stuff and leaving their own marks as little as possible. Then there are those who reuse places. Like paintball games and airsoft wars. And then there are those who vandalize places. Steal stuff, break and burn.
If I would be interested in airsoft games, I would definitely use places like this old sawmill. Actually not interested isn't the right phrase, I think it would be fun 'cause the few lazer war games that I've participated during the years were great fun and absolutely hilarious. I just don't have the time. But if I did, I would definitely play in these kind of places as someone already has.
I would love to see more old places that are given another chance. Someone with the right kind of enthusiasm, determination and an entrepreneurs mind, could turn this into an adult playground. And teenagers of course. Leave things as they are as much as possible, but still making this place much more safer to hang around. Airsoft, escape room and murder mystery games, parkouring, climbing, nearby scateramp and of course a water slide from the highest point of the roof to the nearby beach. It's a sawmill, of course it's right beside a beach. And a cafeteria. And a terrace. A terrace cafeteria.
If you're out there wondering that these ideas were pretty good and you know where this sawmill is, take my ideas and consider them now yours. If you think that something would just be too hard to sell to people, like the location or the raggediness, you should turn it to your advantage and make the hard to sell thing the main attraction. When you do, be sure to invite me to the grand opening!
It's pretty unwise to explore abandoned old places. It's dangerous. The roof or the floor could collapse at any time. Specially if there's lots of wood used. Like this sawmill. Wooden floors, walls and roof. But if you go, do it with good shoes. And don't brake anything. Don't vandalize. Take your phone with you in case something does happen and afterwards when you're back from the trip, don't tell in the internet where the place is. Be especially careful with the photos you share. So that no-one who already isn't familiar with the place or the surroundings, doesn't find the place easy. Remove the location data from the photos or don't use it to begin with.
P.S.
Looks like I've started a new tag. Almost new. I found only one 7 months old post with this tag. So I challenge you to take photos tagged with #abandonedphotography. No curating, no competition, no SBD to the winner (not from me), no best of the best of the best photo selection. Just you and me taking new, weird, intriguing and amazing photos of abandoned places and stuff.