Photo of light bursting through a window in an abandoned house, revealing a wheelchair

Learn: Top 6 Tips for Urban Exploration Photography

Published 26 April 2019 by MPB

Urban exploration—or urbex—is a growing photography subgenre. Photographers scout out abandoned buildings, industrial ruins and disused areas in search of interesting shooting locations. Decay is the order of the day. Interested in how to get started with your own urban exploration journey? Ian Howorth shares his urbex advice and photography.

Disclaimer: Obtain permission before entering any abandoned building. Don’t do anything illegal.

Light through a window at an abandoned house

1. Stay safe

Don’t break a leg. Check floors before walking on them. Old, damp wood isn’t your friend, especially if you have a nice camera around your neck. Wear boots and make sure you’re immunised against tetanus. Tell someone where you’re going, and ask them to check in after a set time period. Abandoned buildings aren’t known for having many passers-by to help if you get trapped.

A typewriter on a chest of drawers behind a pink wall

2. Use

Be inventive in how you find natural light. Also, use a lens with a large maximum aperture, and a camera with high ISO. Avoid HDR, it's overdone — particularly with urbex photography.

Light shining through a window illuminating a clear glass bottle

3

Gorillapods are light to pack and can wrap around your bag. These are great if you want to try using interesting angles. For tripods, the Manfrotto Befree CF is light, small and practical.

Corner of a bed some slippers and a a pill jar on a bedside table

An old and broken keyboard in front of a window with plant overgrowth coming through

4

Look into the past of the place you’re shooting. Photograph and act with respect. Know your history and be sensitive.

A derelict bedroom with a sunshine coming through the window

An old chair in front of a window and table with crushed pills

5.

Disused buildings are dark, so you'll need to use long exposures. The self-timer feature is great for reducing shakes. You don’t want to come home after a long shoot to discover all your images are blurry.

An old arm chairing front of a window with light illuminating an orange curtain

6

Thanks to their low-light performance, full-frame cameras are a great choice for urbex. Mirrorless full-frame cameras offer a great balance of sensor size and portability—perfect for your adventures through abandoned buildings.

We asked Pablo Strong to test the Sony A7 III in an abandoned hospital. Watch the video below and check out some of the images he took while testing its capabilities. You can also check out our quick Sony A7 III review.

Corner of a room with paint flaking off and curling

An old dentists light in a derelict room

An old walking aid in a derelict hospital hallway

Read more tips and techniques on the MPB content hub.

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