Alright, here goes.
2022 was a pretty chaotic year for me, especially the first half. Work changes, moving, changing relationships, a little heartbreak here and there. I'm definitely going to look back on this as a transitional year, with a lot of ups and downs.
Exploring-wise, though, I can safely say this was my biggest year yet. I made it into over 200 spots, 170 or so of which I feel comfortable sharing. That includes:
- 35 Institutional-type spots (asylums, hospitals)
- 46 Churches
- 22 Power Generating facilities, mostly big coal plants
Along with a smattering of theaters, schools, jails, and random other stuff.
Best of all, there were no busts this year. Closest thing to one was a prop owner coming in to politely tell us to ask next time, and a security guard chasing me off a bridge.
This was also the first year I started to at least pretend to give a shit about photography. I'm still an explorer first, photographer second, and that'll probably never change. But I bought a proper camera at least, and edit my photos now. I even dabbled in film photography a little bit before inevitably getting burned.
I was also lucky enough to link up with a lot of you this year, on exploring trips, at meetups, and during parties. Historically I've been kind of a loner in this community (I did nearly all of 2021 solo). I still did a lot of solo exploring this year, but I'm happy to have met so many of you, especially those that I've been talking to online for years at this point.
So here they are, the highlights. I composed most of this while very sick and chugging heroic amounts of cough syrup so if anything I included seems like it shouldn't be here, don't hesitate to shoot me a DM and we can hash things out. I've tried to make it as "complete" as possible while remaining discrete, so expect a few shots of cramped projector rooms, or light fixtures, or whatever instead of actual content. Yes, I really am that obnoxious.
Let's dive in
1) My first spot of 2022 was also my first spot of 2021, albeit a different building. It might also have been my favorite. Probably my favorite asylum building by square foot, so many medical antiques and one of a kind items left behind.
2) First power plant of the thread, one of the best post war plants I've seen
3) This place was taken down tragically and without warning two weeks after I stopped by. Usually my timing is such that it's the other way around.
4) The more impressive of two hyperbaric chambers I saw this year
5) Way too modernized but I still enjoyed the stained glass
6) Unique architectural style
7) This place feels like standing inside of a fancy cake
8) Sad to report that this place is pretty beat
9) Old cotton gins, definitely a one of a kind industrial site
10) Fiddled with the lights for like 10 minutes here trying to get them on before giving up
11) I didn't know subway workers could be so friendly...
12) Glad I caught this one in the snow for some nice exteriors, given it's only borderline worth it these days
13) So-so as plants go but still cool
14) They didn't build this shit straight, cut me some slack
15) Pretty cool but I caught this at the wrong time of day lighting-wise
16) This has gotta be one of the best spots ever in terms of effort to reward ratio. Heard it's coming down soon, shame.
17) One of the most beautiful forts I've seen
18) Velvet Cake
19) Ran here as soon as I could after seeing that stupid dangler posted, I knew it was on borrowed time after that. Rolled in at 6:00 AM after being awake the entire night before so I was pretty exhausted. But this plant was so jaw dropping I ended up staying for close to 9 hours, even though I was running on less than fumes. Since then, I've seen full shots of the hall, CR, and special turb posted all over. Last I heard the place is now very difficult, which is probably for the best.
20) Nothing special here, just climbing around under a bridge
21) Had several opportunities for nice snowy exteriors this year.
22) Always feels especially bad to nearly get caught at one of these shitty clout spots
23) This place didn't do it for me
24) This triple expansion steam engine absolutely did though. One of my new all time favorite industrial spots
25) Hey, that train isn't from the right time period...
26) One of those bell tower shots I warned you about
27) Classic
28) Probably most in need of a reshoot, really not happy with these
29) Never really used this gimmicky mode on my phone again after this but I'll admit to kind of liking this image
30) So much weird activity here
31) Permission spot
32) Difficult to find a good comp here
33) This school was a great roadside find
34) One of the more complete asylums still out there. Definitely some of the best patient porches in the business.
35) Also in the running for best asylum of the year. Boy do I wish my photos of this amazing clockwork mechanism were crisper...
36) Got to spend a grand total of 10 minutes here (it was between two other big spots and we were pressed for time). I really enjoyed this little spot though, it's a type of institutional spot you don't see too often these days.
37) This mill was nicely overgrown and had some decent hydro turbines
38) Two minute in and out
39) Fun week but god it was cold...
40) The crew!
41) Didn't take long to get run out of this one. Ask me about it in person sometime.
42) If your curious why I chose this angle it's because I didn't want more puncture wounds
43) Gimp suit man lives on
44) Had my only truly scary scrapper run in to date here, glad I was with a big group of friends at the time. Since demolished.
45) I partially degloved the tip of my finger getting in here, so learning to use my camera with only my pinkie to avoid covering it in blood was a fun challenge.
46) For sure never thought I'd get the chance to see this one, but lo and behold. I just wish I remembered to check the lights...
47) There's no denying this place is amazing, but it's kind of a joke at this point. Last I was there I saw sharpie tags all over the place, really annoying. I assume it'll only get worse, glad I got to see it clean.
48) It turns out sleep debt makes you impervious against motion sensors
49) One of the first plants I did this year, and certainly one of the best.
50) I do love me some helical drains
51) Just a soggy house with nice furniture
52) Miss that goop water
53) Sucked, even though the exteriors looked nice
54) My buddy and I assumed we had pretty much no chance at this gorgeous asylum. Despite it's ENORMOUS size the place was buttoned tight, COVERED in very real cameras, and patrolled. But when he found an inconspicuous open window, we knew we had to go for it. Somehow, despite passing interior cam after interior cam, we didn't run into any issues.
We assumed they simply didn't work, but only a few days later a group of instagrammers found the window and apparently got busted immediately, because of the cams. We think they might have temporarily shut them off as the building was being worked on that day, and then immediately turned them back on. Can't ask for better luck than that. A lot of the internal doors were locked so we didn't get to see a lot of the campus, but I was happy to have seen anything at all.
55) Had to wade through thigh deep freezing gunk water for this one but it was so worth it
56) Someone did a pretty good job of hiding this room. But not a good enough job to keep us out.
57) Cool theater but I hate orange, so 0/10
58) About as good as it gets
59) This city just plays by different rules
60) Made a number of return visits here, still don't know how to shoot these fucking birds
61) Yeah I'm obnoxious
62) See above
63) This hospital had probably my favorite find of the year: an antique Both type respirator, aka an "iron" lung. It also had a hyperbaric chamber and a few other medical goodies. I really, really wanted to climb into the iron lung for a photo but if I broke that thing I would literally never forgive myself
64) Some cool scenes at this absolutely mind bogglingly massive industrial site
65) Thought this was pretty excellent as modern plants go
66) Thanks for indulging
67) Nice blue unit tucked away here
68) College with some nice decay
69) People seem to go really goo-goo over this place, and tbh I don't really get why. It's nice but whatever
70) Ruins
71) Local castle, permission
72) Another really nice fort
73) Made more than one visit to this place. It's much better with the lights on, I'll tell you that much
74) Old Gurney
75) Been driving past this hulking behemoth on exploring trips for years, decided to finally poke my head inside before the end. I really regret not checking on it sooner, there's a decent amount to offer inside. Not sure why it was so under-explored during its lifetime.
76) Was pretty fun navigating my piece of shit mustang around dozens of washouts to get up here
77) Fourth worst spot entrance of the year goes tooooooooo......
78) I had way more fun at this plant than I should have given how gutted it is
79) Look, Ma, a "creative" shot
And then a boring one
80) I'm not sure exactly how old this little hydro station dates back, but I know it goes back until at least the 1930's. Hydro stuff is under-explored, I hope to see more of it next year
81) Some special turbine guts
82) I did nothing but bitch about how this place sucked while I was actually there, but I think I actually like a lot of the photos from here more than expected.
83) Not really even a "spot" but...
84) The vibes here were rancid
85) Really great place if you can actually figure out how to make things straight (I couldn't)
86) Never seen a church with a better bell array
87) Glad I ran here right after the closure, meant I got to shoot this morgue before it got picked clean lol
88) Made a return trip to these freaky little units
89) For a second I was afraid I might have missed the boat on RPS. I think this might really be the end for it though. Glad to have seen it, even in this state it's one of my favorites.
90) Not really a school guy but this one was nice enough
91) Another return visit
92) Loved the colors here
93) I'll go ahead and give this one the "worst entrance" award, even though it wasn't the tightest, since I got literal scars from the resulting puncture wounds.
94) Taste the flavor of the month rainbow
95) Dump of a theater but at least I saw it
96) The most sublime foliage I've ever seen
97) This has gotta go down as the most disappointing explore of the year for me. An old naval power plant, dating back to at least the 1910's, that I'd never heard of anyone else photographing or trying.
When I got inside, I found they'd long since stripped it of anything interesting. Womp womp. By chance, demolition started a few weeks later.
98) I went here I guess
99) High effort bank
100) Nursing home with a nice chapel and some crazy stairwells
101) Permission spot
102) Just, don't pull the fire alarm, even if there's "no power"
103) Car Tunnel
104) Wish more than anything I didn't sleep on this and was able to get a better, more complete set. But I'm happy to have seen it at all
105) Had fun lighting this one up
106) One of the droopiest, nicest churches of the year
107) There was a speaker blasting some repetitive beat the entire time we were in here, maybe to keep out birds? Place is a ruin, not sure if that makes sense.
108) Not sure I've ever seen a spot go from mostly unknown to flavor of the month shitshow as fast as this one.
109) Another spot I had to do a rapid fire run of due to time constraints. I'll be back though.
110) I explored two or three houses this year. Yeah, I admit it. Showered afterwards.
111) We ran into the caretakers and got permission for this one. They are very nice people so please don't be mean to their property.
112) This asylum, while not a Kirk, had the exact layout of one, which I thought was cool.
113) Didn't get everything I wanted here but I didn't leave empty handed either
114) One of the coolest plants, even today
115) Best church of the year
116) Experimented with my first 35mm roll at this foundry
117) This place is like one of those shitty relatives who you don't love that much but assume will just sort of linger on miserably forever, but then when they actually do go you're kind of sad
119) Caption
120) Nice spooky place
121) Didn't notice my friend in this when I was processing, I was on a lot of cough syrup, still am, wave to say hi
122) Pretty sick bank vault
123) Quick stop
124) Poked my head into this shithole for five minutes. Another hospital I can say I've done I guess. Was getting demolished.
125) More interesting photographically than the actual abandonment down the river
126) Under construction but we got permission
127) Risked hill person wrath for this
128) Place has nice feng shue
129) Telescope
130) Padded rooms and cells
131) Place gets a bad wrap
132) Cute little diesel generator in a pump house
133) Tourist spot
134) Thought I might be breaking some serious ground on this one based on the beautiful exterior, but was pretty disappointed. And, I got chased by a Karen upon leaving -_-
135) Need to reshoot the turbines here, in the meantime this foggy exterior will do
136) Jail
137) Looks better this way, don't @ me
138) Number seven in the annoying entries ranking goes tooooo
139) Happy to report you can still pull a decent set from this place, even if it's ever worse for the wear
140) Kids these days are spoiled with too much floor
141) Nice train
142) The fat lady, she singin'
143) One of the more entertaining modern churches at least
144) More cells
145) We dumped that "brain matter" jar full of insulation out seconds after this was taken
146) Dentist Office
147) Wish I saw before the alter turned to rubble
148) Got here a lot too late
149) Keep your third eye closed
150) Ate a spider or two getting to this
151) Took me long enough to get here huh
152) This place was a roadside find for me, so I thought I might have discovered a real low-key gem. Then I got home and realized it was actively flavor of the month.
153) Man this was a lot of work...
154) Tragically gutted, but still worth for the ceiling
155) Nice school with many artifacts
156) What even is this
157) Abatement is underway here, they've already fucked up the morgue a little. Still feel like I got close to the full experience here though, for which I'm grateful
158) Blue floating jesus doesn't have time for your shit
159) Tons of dead kittens all over the place the vibes are rancid
160) Probably my favorite post 1940 plant
161) Hammertime
162) Moody
163) Little roadside well
164) These diesel turbines were awesome, and very crunchy. So were the rocket launchers.
165) I'm not sure I really get to count this as a separate location but I'm going to be brave
166) Might as well close things out with this peaceful little scene from a ruined little institution.
That's it for 2022. Let's hope 2023 is similarly kind.