Todd Sipes - Urban Exploration Photography: A Guide to Shooting Abandoned Places

A Guide to Shooting Abandoned Places

Todd Sipes

This book is dedicated to a number of people, but first and foremost to my beautiful wife for letting me sneak out before dawn so that I could find and photograph dangerous places. I love you, Jay. To Mom, Dad, and Laurel for always supporting the crazy things Ive tried throughout my life. To all my friends who have joined me on my explorations and helped me grow as a photographer: Adam Heckaman, Nick McCoy, Stefan Roumell, Jason Bodenheimer, Jesse Krieger, Amy Heiden, Brian Matiash, Dan Hughes, Michael Rosati, Scott Haefner, Nate Johnson, Chelsea Barada, Nicky Pedroia, Gary Utley, and Michael Bonocore. You are all amazing and I cant thank you enough.

Photo credit: Dan Hughes

Todd Sipes is an award-winning photographer who resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. He specializes in urban exploration and concert photography, and has explored and photographed countless abandoned structures, beginning at 10 years old while growing up in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. With a deep-seated interest in history, he earned his BA degree in American History at the University of California in Santa Cruz, and then pursued his MBA degree at the University of San Francisco. When Sipes isnt getting his hands dirty exploring, he plays drums, loves to travel, snowboards in Lake Tahoe, and spends time with his wife, Harasyn. He also created and moderates the Urban Exploration Community on Google+.

Find out more about Sipes and his work at .

The term urban explorationaka UrbEx and UEsounds like it should be pretty self-explanatory. The term, however, has morphed and mutated from its literal meaning. Today, it represents a community of people who like to explore and photograph man-made structures that have been abandoned or are off-limits to the general public. People have varied definitions, but nine times out of ten, when someone mentions urban exploration, he or she is talking about entering abandoned buildings to take pictures. Other popular activities that fall under the UrbEx definition are draining (exploring drains), craning (climbing cranes), and infiltration (exploring active buildings). My expertise resides with abandoned buildings, so this book caters to that subject matter.

As much I personally enjoy just getting in my car and driving to a location, Ive learned that I always walk away from a shoot with better photos if I take the time plan out my adventure. By doing some research, checking my gear, and preparing mentally, I can make the most efficient use of my time while on location. You wouldnt go skydiving without checking your pack and knowing the location of your drop zone, would you? UrbEx isnt always life and death, but we are usually pressed for time due to weather, security hazards, and other variables out of our control. This chapter provides basic information to help you make sure you have everything you need and can use all of your time efficiently.

Without getting into too much detail on how to urban explore, you should prepare to the best of your ability given your knowledge of where youre going. Some tips that will help you maximize your shooting time and also keep you safe include:

Save an offline map of the location youre going to with Google Maps. You might not have cell service when you get to your location. Knowing the geography of your target and surrounding areas can be immensely helpful.

Saving an offline map of your location can certainly help you in and out of a location if you dont have cell service.

Tell a loved one where youre going and how long you plan to be there. Ive heard some horror stories of explorers getting lost or injured, some with tragic results.

Wear appropriate clothing for the location. For example, dont wear shorts if youre going to encounter barbed wireI learned this the hard way. I like to wear long pants and long sleeves no matter the situation. Just be smart and wear comfortable clothing that keeps you well protected.

Dont go alone if you can avoid it. Exploring is always more fun with friendsplus, as far as safety is concerned, it can be extremely helpful to have an extra hand if youre caught in a pinch.

If youve been there before, plan your shots ahead of time. I visit some sites repeatedly and I know them like the back of my hand. However, that doesnt mean Ive always been able to photograph certain features to my satisfaction. I make a note of the shots I want to retry so that Im not just wandering around looking for things to shoot.