Born in a post soviet industrialist town doesnt have many privillages, unless you are a photographer that is.
I've been interested in photography since i was a little kid and ound both photographs and cameras really cool. So from a young age I wanted to shoot. The thing is that I couldn't shoot amazing landscapes or intriguing street photography because around my town there wasn't and breathtaking views and the people on the one street that you can see people were not that many and kinda boring and same. Every high viewpoint and small path you could take led to an industrial pile of metal and concrete shaped in a weird way. So as they say "If you cant beat them, join them".
Learning more about composition i started noticing it in the geometrical shapes of the industrial world around me and huge factories and seemingly boring buildings started to grab my eye more and more.
I don't remember a precise moment in which I decided i'll shoot architecture but it was the start of my actual photographic journey.
This is what i was surrounded by. And by the way the fisheye (which i talk about a lot) is the first lens i bought. It was a childhood dream almost to have one.
Going back to the topic, i was constantly finding places like this more interesting and photogenic. And luckily they are abundant where I'm from.
The place in the photo above is an old restaurant that was once flourishing with people as it's location is next to the biggest landscape of my small hometown. The photo is taken by night and is a long exposure utilizing only the streetlights next to the construction.
I did shoot a lot at night and still do, as I love the different light in which you can see everything.
That's another pace i visited. Its the towns square and i ysed to go there every day to meet with friends. The tree behind it are from another photo of a forest again during the night. I guess seeing the place daily made it boring to me so I decided to mke it a bit more interesting.
I am not a nocturnal being only so i do take pictures during the day -
But ill show them to you in a bit :D
This is one of my favorite places in town. It's the playground of an old abandoned school that had many different different purposes over the years until it became a rehearsal room for a few friends of mine. We go there to play and jam and have parties (the place itself is behind the camera in this photo) and this is the front porch with some comfy seats for guests and friends.
Here! A daytime photo. Taken at one of the numerous abandoned mining plants around town. This one looks particularly scary to me due to its huge "teeth"
Places like this sit empty and forgotten for years and it seems as if you are the only one that has set foot near them in ages. And this is something that i really like in such places. That feel of solitude and almost loneliness (not in an depressing kind of way).
I just find it cool to have all that place for yourself, no people crossing your frame and no one bothering you while you are shooting.
Buildings like this also are often far from the heart of town and have a weird surrounding of nature, only the nature is retaking place in the drilled and dug up soil or the cut down trees. It's as if vegetation and sometimes small animals are finding home back where it once was and reviving the place.
I hope you enjoyed reading and checking out the photos in this post.
Do you have such trips and stories? Do yo go to abandoned places to shoot? If so I would love to see your posts and pictures from them.
Best wishes from me and stay safe :)
