Take a tour of the derelict and decaying structures featured in the best urbex photography uploaded by Photocrowd users
'Empty Crazy Spaces' by Marco Tagliarino, Canon EOS 7D, 24-105mm, 1sec at f/6.3, ISO 100
You may be unfamiliar with the genre of urban exploration - or urbex as it is also called - but, once seen, it's difficult to forget. Typing the words into Google is to be faced with a world on the verge of total decay. Your eye swims in haunting and derelict man-made structures that can include, among others, abandoned hospitals, asylums, barns, chateaus and hotels.
Urban exploration is an often-clandestine activity that finds individuals or small groups travelling across the country looking for abandoned places to explore. These decaying structures provide photographs that seem to come from either another world or a post-apocalyptic landscape. The genre has grown in popularity in recent years with photographers such as Thomas Windisch dedicating themselves to photographing places that have fallen off the radar. Images of crumbling factories and warehouses have featured on the pages of numerous publications and websites and as a result, despite the secrecy of its practitioners, the genre has never been more visible.
However, the genre's popularity has done nothing to quench its contentious nature, with many claiming that people producing urban decay photography are trespassers, vandals and criminals. On top of this, some of these locations, as a result of their derelict nature, are considered unsafe for visitors.
The images taken in these locations are undoubtedly beautiful and here we present some of the best abandoned building photography by Photocrowd users. If you'd like more information about urban exploration, including the legalities of the genre, there are plenty of resources available online.
'Dereliction' by Volantes, Pansonic DMC-GX7, 12-35mm, 1/400sec at f/5.6, ISO 200
'Abandoned Chateau in France' by Jamie-Lee, Nikon D5200, 18mm, f/8, ISO 200
'Entrance' by Wilfred, Nikon DF, 22mm, 1/40sec at f/7.1, ISO 800
'Old Ward' by Paul C, Nikon D80, 10-24mm, 1/125sec at f/5.6, ISO 125
'Corridor' by Paul C, Nikon D80, 18-35mm, 10sec at f/3.5, ISO 160
'Grandpa's Homestead' by Les Menard, Nikon D200, 18-200mm, 1/20sec at f/11, ISO 100
'I See You' by Dellboy, exposure unknown
'The Ghost Rider' by Helena Mim, Nikon D800, 24-800mm, 15secs at f/22, ISO 100
'Design & Grime - London City Life' by Simon Hadleigh-Sparks, Sony ILCE-6000, 19mm, 1/60sec at f/3.5, ISO 6400
'Jesus in Ruins' by Netsrotj, Sony A350, 28-80mm, 1/200sec at f/5.6, ISO 100
'Abandoned Swimming Pool, Pripyat, Ukraine', by Daniel Simon, Fujifilm X100S, 23mm, 1/80sec by f/5.6, ISO 400
'Untitled' by Matthew Dartford, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 24mm, 1/5sec at f/9, ISO 100
'Windows' by Melis82, Sony DSC-W5, 12.1mm, 1/160sec at f/7.1, ISO 100
'The Window Seat' by Steffan Nielson, Fuljifilm, X-T1, 16-55mm, 1/125sec at f/2.8, ISO 640
'Lost Places' by Kris Lucas, exposure unknown
''Guist Cricket Pavilion' by Matthew Dartford, 1/20sec at f/9, ISO 100
'Pompes Shell' by Philippe Moroux, exposure unknown
'Empty Crazy Spaces' by Marco Tagliarino, Canon EOS 6D, 24-105mm, 5secs at f/8, ISO 100
'Untitled' by Jago Bulduc, Canon EOS 70D, 18-35mm, 1/250sec at f/4, ISO 100
'Asylum in Colour' by Marco Tagliarino, Canon EOS 6D, 16-35mm, 5/2sec at f/8, ISO 100
'End of Travel' by Marek Kosiba, exposure unknown
'Shadows of an Abandoned City' by Michael Epel, Leica M, 24mm, 1/125sec at f/9.5, ISO 400
'Neglect' by Andrew Robertson, Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 35mm, 1/500sec at f/2.2, ISO 100
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