Urban decay, whether it is a forgotten chair in Los Angeles or an abandoned building in Detroit, is fascinating to look at.  It is the epitome of man vs nature, and nature always wins.  There is something about a place frozen i time that lets our imagination run wild.  Read more about the behind the scenes of Forgotten Chair Los Angeles.

Urban Decay

As the major cities in the United States age there has been a steady decay of those areas.  As a result, warehouses, factories, even houses are just left to rot and let nature take them back.  This aging created an amazing backdrop for man versus nature and how nature always wins the struggle.

Behind The Scenes

This image, titled “Forgotten Chair Los Angeles” was taken in the spring of 2015.  The photograph was taken in an abandoned building near skid row in Los Angeles, CA.  The opportunity to go into this building was last minute.  As a result, the whole shoot was spontaneous.

I was told that I could have access to the building for about 40 minutes.  Therefore, I was just in reaction mode.  Grab gear and go.  This was just go shoot, use available light, and enjoy the results.  As a result, many of the images from this opportunity are raw and gritty only using what was in the building and no time for staging anything.  This is a great opportunity to remind us to always have a battery charged for the camera, and make sure you have a card in the camera.  You never know when that split second you will need to be ready.

This building was such an amazing place. It was a brothel in the early 1900’s in the industrial section of Los Angeles.  Therefore, how could it not have a story to tell?  Unfortunately, not long after this shoot the building was torn down and replaced with high rise apartments.  This is a great time to remember that the world is constantly changing and photograph captures a small instance of that time in a small place.  When given these opportunities we don’t know if it will be the last opportunity for that space to tell it’s story.  In other words, always be prepared.

Thank you for visiting my site, and I hope you enjoy the image.

This photograph is in my shop Forgotten Chair Los Angeles.

Chair in abandoned building natural light urban decay balck and whit photograph

Urban decay is such an amazing thing and this forgotten chair is no different. The process of how things start falling apart and become more and more interesting is amazing. To bad because it is fully of history and character. What a great place to shoot and walk around.

The Trip

Urban decay is very exciting to photograph.  As result of not having much time, I didn’t have time to map out shots that I wanted to take with certain lighting.  Therefore, I was just going for it when I got there.

The history visible in this building was amazing.  Therefore, it was amazing photographing it.

Forgotten Chair Los Angeles was a great reminder to: 

  • Always have your camera ready for an adventure.  As a result, prep for your next adventure as soon as the current one is over.
  • Don’t pass on opportunities when they come up, even if they are a short window of time.
  • Make sure you have back up gear because you won’t get a do over.  It’s always good to have an extra memory card, because you don’t know when you will need it.
  • Remember to check your camera batteries and charge them periodically.  Batteries discharge over time.  Therefore, you just need to put them on the charger every once in a while.

If you like urban decay, then don’t miss my my behind the scenes of Empty Hallway Los Angeles.

More Fine Art Photographs

Don’t forget to look at the images on my site in the galleries starting at: https://mjvphoto.com/the-art/.  Hopefully you find some of them inspirational for your own photography adventures, or maybe you find an image you want to call your own.