Urban Exploration: Top Tips For Photographing Abandoned Buildings & Some Stunning Examples!

UK photographer James Kerwin has teamed up with our creative friends COOPH to show you how you can document long-forgotten buildings safely. 

Now, James' urban exploration journey is through the very beautiful Italy but you can find buildings which are just as, if not more, interesting right here in the UK but please do remember urban exploration can be dangerous so always exercise caution and enter sites at your own risk! After all, it is trespassing which we don't condone but you're probably still going to do it anyway. 

In the video, you'll see James and the COOPH team take in the abandoned sites of Milan, Bologna, Florence and Genoa where they share the following tips:

1. Go prepared - Pack the right kit (tips are given in the tutorial) and never go alone.
2. Capture neglect - Show what time and nature can do to a building when people move out. 
3. Seek natural light - Soft light can work wonders on locations. 
4. Look for symmetry - We like patterns!
5. Capture nature - Heavily overgrown locations are a good opportunity to juxtapose nature with man-made structures. 
6. Shoot shadows -  Create strong contrast and mystery with dark areas. 
7. Don't forget the stairs! - An interesting project all on their own, you have a path for the eye to follow as well as a bit of symmetry. 
8. Shapes & patterns - Think outside the box and don't just look at the big picture. 
9. Black & White - Shoot in greyscale to remove distractions. 
10. Vibrancy - Look for rooms that still have some 'pop' to them - they can still exist even in abandoned locations. 
11. Play around with tilt-shift - If you can afford to! 

Take a look at the beautiful images James and the COOPH team captured on their journey below.

All photos © James Kerwin & COOPH