So I've made it my goal to get out exploring as often as possible this year, shooting as much as I can and generally trying to really step up my game in terms of photographic skill. So far this year my wife and I have checked out a lot of new locations (new to us anyways) and I've taken a lot of pics I'm really happy with too.







American Laundry Machinery Co, an abandoned appliance factory spanning several hundred thousand square feet. A small portion of the building burned down a few years back and a decent portion of the property has been restored and is currently in use by a number of small businesses, but the remainder of the factory is still pretty cool. I hope to return again and get more than this small handful of shots. (I posted a few shots of American Laundry back in Nov 2012, here).

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We also made a quick visit to an insane asylum not far from where my mother lives, but I felt we'd be too visible entering the building due to the need to climb a high fence in broad daylight within sight of prison patrols... maybe we'll get in another time. We also checked out some crumbling stone docks at the shore, not too far from the asylum at all. It was amazingly windy, but that only made it more interesting.

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This is a location I wish I'd gotten to sooner. Apparently this factory used to be about four times larger before a raging fire destroyed the vast majority of the property, leaving only a lone building from the once massive manufacturing complex. The floors were warped from water damage (likely the result of the fire hoses), the ceilings charred black, half-burned papers and books scattered and piled everywhere like fallen autumn leaves.

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On our way to the insane asylum we came across a derelict gas station. At first glance it seemed unimpressive, but then we both spotted through a window a small tree growing on the second floor. Needless to say, Jess and I had to check this out.

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This is a place I'd completely forgotten about. This hospital underwent partial demolition several years ago, but apparently one wing was left standing, boarded up and forgotten about. Needless to say, once I realized a portion of the hospital remained I knew we had to explore it. The water damage was pretty intense, but in a way it helped provide the hospital with a lot of character. I've never seen moss so prevalent inside a closed up building before. Bonus fact: I was born here.

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While on the road in the middle of nowhere we passed a sign reading "Available" next to a long driveway hedged in on either side by barbed wire topped fencing. On a hunch I turned the car around and headed back to check it out... and found an entire complex of buildings which once served as an army depot! We didn't have a lot of time to explore so this ended up being more of a scouting run, but I did manage a few shots before we had to leave again.

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Oh, and then I found an abandoned, collapsed house. Not too photogenic, but I did get this shot.

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I hope you've enjoyed my month's retrospective. It's not quite as cohesive as most posts here, but I didn't think I really had enough photos of each individual location to make tons of small posts.