Latest Arizona Road Trips

Julie Ferguson and I took a few days to trek around the desert on a spontaneous road trip event. 

We began with a healthy dose of Spirit Halloween store shopping. It seems this year they still have the zombies, clowns and pirates we expect, but have added some great creepy dolls, Day of the Dead themes and superhero costumes. The line of AtmosFear FX holographic videos has expanded with a great price $39.99. They had a lot of cool and somewhat realistic animal masks (us above).

We then headed out at sunset to a desert cemetery called Maricopa Cemetery in the Southwest part of the Greater Phoenix area. It was a striking sunset.

It was nearly perfect, except for the fact that recent rains made the ground unstable and Julie's feet collapsed into a grave - 

We couldn't help by drive down a lone cornfield and stop outside an abandoned ranch with crumbling roof-less buildings to capture the sunset in the distance through the buildings. When we zoomed in, however, we saw something really creepy that didn't belong in an abandoned site.

The next day, we were looking at a map and saw a place called "Nothing, Arizona." Well, that begged us to go see. 

The town was named by some guys who partied there in the 1970s. It wasn't really a town. But, eventually a little shop and restaurant were built and didn't last all that long. When we looked at the map, the next town was Wickieup. We had to see that!

This town was a nice-sized town. There were a few gift shops, restaurants and the like, as it is the major stop between Phoenix and Kingman and those traveling on to Las Vegas.

The gift shop and restaurant were fantastic with both campy Arizona gifts and beautiful crafts and art. The food was great! 

We headed back to Wickenburg and went by the Vulture Mines. Even though it is privately owned now, it is re-opening for tours at the end of October. While photographing it, a dust devil cut across the view.

The next day, we headed out to Lake Pleasant and up to Wickenburg again, by a different route, Rt 74, known as the "Carefree Highway" (inspired Gordon Lightfoot's song).

The water was warm.

We headed back on the road for some urban exploration. Lots of abandoned sites along Wittman and El Mirage. 

On the way home, we managed to get a striking sunset - 

How to Photograph Abandoned Buildings

Julie and I went back to the abandoned motel (above) used for one of the chapters in our Abandoned Places: Abandoned Memories (Desert Edition) book that has psychic reads and photographs of abandoned sites. It's changed a bit. The last time, there was a TV out front, now, a black bird with its head ripped off - welcoming, huh?

Here's the interior (below)

This particular abandoned motel (below) was quite the find, including empty pool, empty casitas, and boat. 

This abandoned motel does not exist anymore (below), as it has been plowed under with the rest of the town off of I-10 north of Tucson in the Picacho Peak area. 

This abandoned motor court (below) in Virginia was a wonder to explore, complete with skulls on the grounds and tons of nastiness. 

When photographing abandoned places, I have tons of advice. 

Safety 

Of course, the most obvious is to be safe. Adhere to "no trespassing" signs. No need to get arrested or fined for your curiosity. The next is to be certain the place is empty before you enter. You do not want to ambush people who might be squatting and there are lots of squatters, some are down and out, some are dealing with drugs, and others might be here illegally and hiding out. So, let the building know you are approaching. I prefer to throw rocks at the building to scare anyone out. Better to deal with them where you can get free than to be cornered. Abandoned sites are crumbling, quite literally. They also often contain asbestos and other nasties like black mold. Carry a mask with you and gloves. Be sure your tetanus vaccine is up to date. Go in groups so some can be lookout while others photograph and in case someone falls through a floorboard, you have rescuers handy. 

Photographing 

Encroachment by nature/weathering: Abandoned sites have characteristics you want to enhance and showcase that other sites are not particularly as interesting. Abandoned sites are attacked by nature and aging, dried out wood, rusted metal, mold, moss, vines, fading, and the like. 

Lighting: Abandoned buildings also have unusual lighting through cracks, broken glass, ceiling holes, and missing boards. I suggest you rarely use flash inside or you lose the mystery and the amazing effect of the light.

Irony/Poignancy: The element of irony in abandoned sites makes them a favorite of urban explorer (URBEX) folks. It is eerie to see things that people used to use that are now in nasty settings or perhaps out of place.

Perspective: Sometimes, taking a feature and blowing it out of proportion makes it seem even more eerie. Getting below a tall building and looking up can make it seem like it's sinister and looming. If something is wide, get on your belly, show just how elongated it is and pick up any crumbling remains on the ground. 

Point of view: Point of view can cause a very poignant photograph. Consider putting yourself into the setting in a solemn way, utilizing what is reflected in a mirror, or through a window looking out from within instead of from outside to within. 

In the case of the motels above, these places were once a fun place to stay but are now barren and deteriorated; a great perspective to utilize. Empty swimming pools, broken faded signs, a piece of furniture like a TV stand left inside, a row of rooms like stark gaping wounds are all features to play up.








Single item: Poignancy and isolation/loneliness are critical to get an abandoned site across photographically. Be certain to take advantage of a lone item - 

These tips can be applied to any kind of photography of abandoned sites. Churches, homes, institutional buildings can all be prophetic to photograph, but in those cases, you will focus on what the building used to be and what it has become. For motels, it was once a getaway and vacation spot, but a home, a church, a hospital had different functions. Using these guidelines above - enjoy photographing abandoned sites and do so safely and never alone!

I'll close with some shots that were taken in a wide variety of abandoned sites - 

Here's my video discussing this