There are several small abandoned houses near where I live, but I suppose the close proximity made me timid of going into them, especially since the doors were securely closed.. A week or so ago someone, apparently with the initials T.B., kicked in the doors of every one of them and tagged some of the walls with gold spray paint.. they also smashed every mirror in both of the houses I went into today. I'm not sure what else they did.

One of the houses was fairly empty, left with only a few pieces of furniture and knick knacks, but the other was full of the last inhabitants' belongings. Everything was scattered about the rooms, the bedroom floors piled with clothing, and a calendar from 1997 still hung on the wall. Right inside of the front doorway, on the floor, were old photos spread out amongst the junk. I couldn't just leave them there, so I picked out all that I could find and placed them in a box... thought about taking them, to preserve them, but they're someone else's memories and the family, if there is any, might want to find them.

Looking at the pictures I took, I see a lot of things I didn't notice the first time around so I'll probably go back to that one house again tomorrow and do a more thorough job... also, I'm going to take that corroded canister. Yes, add stealing to my list of crimes... don't judge me!





































Canon XT w/Sigma 10-20mm

Awesome pics!

So do you live in a rural area? Has anyone ever called the police on you for trespassing?

Thanks, hlander.

Yes, and no... not yet, lol.

Creepy! Especially the one with the doll.

AWESOME pics! Did you arrange a lot of the items in the pictures or were they left in that position?
Interesting house..!

Yeah, dolls are always creepy.


Thanks.
The only items I arranged were a couple of the old photos on the cardboard box so more were visible. Other than that, I touched nothing. I have a hands-off approach.

Take the items back to your house -- one day the owners will show up and then you can give them back their stuff. If they never come back you will have some really kewl pics/stuff

This happened with an old abandoned house across the street from where I live. There just wasn't anything left there but the owner did come back one day 10 years later looking. I talked to them and tried to buy the old wood out of the shotgun house hallway but they wouldn't sell and 5 years later the house still sits there rotting away. They should have just sold me the wood while it was still worth something.

Can't believe you are going to go back and steal that cannister.

How much you want for it?

why do people abandon houses? explain to my stupid brain please. haha

Those are great pictures (the ones you shot and the ones you found). Maybe you should borrow the pictures and scan em? I wish we had cool stuff like that around me. Its taken a lot of exploring to find the (safe) abandoned places with in a couple hours of me.

Weird place I did find though was the abandoned Federal Bureau of Mines. The main building is really big, the property is around 4 acres with a bunch of over grown buildings and a cold water spring. Best of all its only about a 10 min. bike ride from me with mtb trails around the outside of it.

i like the corroded canister and woman with puppies shot the best. great pics as always lani! keep up the good work.

Well it happens over time with different circumstances. These are not pristine houses. And the ones that are -- look at the economy -- people loose there job -- have to move in with relatives in some far away city, take what they can and leave the rest -- months later the bank takes over -- months after that they may or may not put a for-sale sign up --- then in this economy years after that they may or may not sell it


Meanwhile some kewl stuff gets left behind.
Take it and give it back if the time comes -- chances are the time will never come and the stuff was just abandoned.

great pics, you have a true talent.

pimpin jacket. where in LA are you from?

looks like my house

amazing! it inspired me to buy a new lens tonight.. tamron 28-75 for my canon xti..

Yeah, seeing how the place has been abandoned for at least 13 years and no one has come to take the stuff yet.... I might collect the old photos. Maybe I can identify someone in there and try to find them.


It's pretty, isn't it?? Not sure what I'm going to do with it, lol.


Lots of reasons.


That bureau sounds like a cool place to explore! Have you been inside of it? I wish I had larger buildings like that around here, but these little houses have a lot of character.



Thanks.


Thank you!


Central LA.


Wouldn't surprise me.

Screw the canister go for the jacket.

Yay! Glad you had a good trip, Lani.

You want it? I could ship it to you.


I didn't go up to that school in Shreveport like I had planned, but I'll be heading up there tomorrow!

I see a perfectly good mattress there - just dust it off and you're good to go! Seriously, those pics are really interesting!

that telephone looks more realistic in the photo than the one in front of me. amazing talent you have there.

I <3 people's old crap. I wish there were places like that around here.
Makes me think of what happened to the people living in those houses and why they decided to ditch the place and leave so much behind. So many stories to be told

Yeah I've been in parts. I was out biking around and just came across it so I didnt have a flash light. I only went in the areas that were lit up. I know there are people squatting in certain parts of the property and didnt feel like disturbing them. The main building has a most of the windows broken out, gave me the same feeling as bombed out buildings that I've been in.

The whole property is is crazy cool. The city still mows the lawn in places and right next to the mowed section there will be a parking lot with a forest growing out of it.

Same property has a abandoned police station under huge oak trees. Its really beautiful.

You're right about the small places having character. I've found some other fun places that I wont go into since this post has gotten so long

If yer in to this sort of thing I'll post up pics come spring when I go back.

Thank you.


Me too! It's such a strange feeling when you walk through a place that used to be someone's home but now it's just lifeless. 


That sounds like a cool place. I'd be wary of any place that has squatters, but thankfully most of the places I visit are too far from any actual towns or cities for them to be an issue.


Please post pics when you do go back!




Heading over to the house again in a little while.. after I finish my cup of spiced apple cider.. mmmm.

Will do but they're not going to be as refined as yours

lani did you notice that you reached 20,000 posts?

Is that a cookie jar? Whatever it is it's awesome.

Aren't you ever nervous you'll run into someone living in one of those houses? like a homeless person or a psychopath?

Oh and I love the pics!

I've almost made that mistake more than once.

Pffft!


Yes, I am aware of that.


I really don't know, the label is corroded as well but I'm thinking maybe it held salt which might have caused the whole thing corrode so thoroughly. I haven't tried to open it yet.


What makes you think they don't have to worry about running into me? *mad laughter*
Ah, these places are too far from towns (places with food) for homeless to squat in. Actually, I don't think we have any homeless here...


Sounds like story telling time!!


Just got home a little while ago... Drove up to the Shreveport, LA area to an abandoned school campus. Took around 200 pics so hopefully I'll have some to show either tonight or tomorrow.

Yet. I'm thinking about relocating and those like nice places for a unbeatable price

I read some bad news yesterday, They are going to demo the Federal Bureau of Mines in the spring. I'm gonna try to get down there this week.

On the upside my dispatcher told me about a abandoned air force base only 30min from me. Score!!!

Crap, yeah, get there before they tear it down! Maybe you'll be lucky and they've already kicked out the squatters!

And cool about the air force base.
You really don't realize just how many abandoned locations are near you until you start looking for them, lol.

I was really hoping to get some shots this fall. The season just kinda fits the feel of the place or at least the feel that I wanted for the pictures. Right now I only have a P&S so I may have to call in some friends.
When I first found the FBM I was in my riding gear and was in no shape to get in to a scuffle. I got injured pretty bad a little more than a week later so I couldn't go back. This time I'll go prepared. You'd be surprised how much a strong presence and $10 can get ya with the squatters.



I know, I'm freakin giddy about the base. It will be interesting though...
No kidding and its crazy (in my case) how big some are. Just hidden by a couple trees. We have tons of abandoned houses in a certain area of town but they're not the kind of places you would want to go in.

Have fun with that and be sure to post pics.

Update on corroded canister: The label says 'Sugar'. The lid is sealed shut though.
Gonna take some macros of the textures of it.

Oh, and Lightroom has officially won me over. Goodbye to the HDR programs on my computer.

ummm.did you see that house? They should have torched it on their way out.