Today’s featured photographer and guest blogger is Appleton, Wisconsin based Brett Stoddart. He shoots abandoned buildings. He shoots people. Sometimes he combines the two. He is a husband. A father. A traveler. An art and music lover. He says he has a wicked sense of humor, albeit an odd one. Check out his blog. Follow him on Twitter and or friend him on Facebook.

Recently I wrote about my experiences exploring and shooting in abandoned buildings. These places offer a plethora of interesting and unique shooting experiences. There are ornate interior design elements of days gone by; from peeling paint to exposed lathe and plaster and even the occasional hideous wallpaper (hideous by today's standards).

As photographers we are always searching out the next best location to shoot our clients, whether that is truly on location or a backdrop that has been procured to transform our interior shooting spaces to something they are not.

For me, the locations of choice have become those buildings that I so passionately explore. The grit, the grime, the decay; they have all become interesting elements in my portraiture.

I began my journey into portraiture at the urging of a friend and fellow photographer who also happened to be a model for many local merchants. Up until that point I was aiming a camera at another person or limited to your traditional snapshots at bars and parties. Now, I had practiced a little, I had studied, I kind of knew what was going on and I had watched others soaking it all up, but I never fully intended to become a portrait photographer. People scared me: they move, they talk. My buildings, not so much.

So it was with reluctance and great trepidation that I acquiesced.

A client and I drove out to a local farmhouse that had been abandoned for over 30 years, nearly empty of all remnants of human occupation. I set up my one light and softbox and shot that first frame. Wow. I was stunned. Who knew? The textures of the walls popped and at that moment I knew that I was on to something. We continued shooting and even went to a second location to shoot more. Three years later I still have 2 of the images from that day in my portfolio. Luck? Maybe.

Shooting on location always presents us with many challenges that we don't have to worry about in-studio: the logistics of getting there, hauling everything in, powering it, set up and tear down, etc. Many location shooters have probably been told to ‘move along' at some point in their career. It usually happens just when you've gotten into that groove and things are flowing nicely.

For me that is the risk 95% of the time when I shoot on location. Everyone wants their portraits at one of the abandoned buildings I shoot. But there are inherent risks in bringing a client into a structure that is not truly ‘safe'. In addition to potential structural damage, there could be health concerns, legal issues, and a myriad of risks that most people don't have to contend with. I try to obtain permission whenever possible if I will be shooting clients in these places. I have no problem signing waivers of liability that prevent me from taking action if something were to happen while on their property. Having the necessary legal documents tends to show that I am serious and not just a random trespasser. I carry blank forms with me for just this reason and it always helps to carry a book of my work. But finding owners is not always easy and truth be told it is rare that I get a chance to obtain permission.

I mainly shoot models in these locations, however this year I started shooting high school seniors too. The demand was too high to ignore although I have a different set of criteria for suitable locations for each.

For seniors, I really go the ultra-safe route by going to places where I know that our being there won't cause ‘trouble,' or have de facto permission from owners. They are the ones that are structurally sound, free of the most common health risks and in general: safe. The associated risks and nature of location are always discussed in depth beforehand.

When I'm with models, we will take a few more chances. We will go to the locations that are riskier, but with that risk there is certainly reward. In my opinion, a place rarely seen greatly enhances the value of an image. Models also understand the risks associated with these shoots, and I would never put them – or anyone – into a particularly dangerous situation. But we definitely push the envelope.

I am not a natural light shooter, I use off-camera flash. I don't like shooting natural light portraits; it doesn't give me the drama I like to create and presents a whole other set of logistical nightmares. How do you ‘sneak' into a building carrying 4 strobes, stands, modifiers, etc. and not be seen? Chances are you can't.

I usually have a good idea going into the shoot of what type of images I want and that allows me to plan my gear accordingly. Very frequently it is just one light, one stand, and one modifier. Travel light, get in, shoot and get out. Also, I always like to know the location I will be using beforehand. I don't like going into a fashion shoot location blind. It's not safe for me or the models.

Whether I choose to take a model in a $5000 wedding dress to an abandoned gothic cathedral, or clothe her in heroin chic and stick her in a filthy corner of a nasty factory, there are options to compliment or even contrast the look we are going after. I am in love with the juxtaposition of classic beauty mixed in with the beauty of decay.

Sure I can take safe studio shots of models and composite them into my abundance of already shot images from locations, but that would take all the fun out of it, and I don't like to continually be cooped up inside. I feel constant studio shooting drains me of creativity, although winter is approaching the Midwest faster than I would like.

Hmmm, maybe it is time to start to practicing those compositing skills … until next time, happy shooting and stay safe.

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Today's featured photographer and guest blogger is Appleton, Wisconsin based Brett Stoddart. He shoots abandoned buildings. He shoots people. Sometimes he combines the two. He is a husband. A father. A traveler. An art and music lover. He says he has a wicked sense of humor, albeit an odd one. Check out his blog. Follow him on Twitter and or friend him on Facebook.

I have only been ticketed once.

I have only met a crackhead once.

I have only had an assault rifle pulled on me once.

Wish i could say the same about falling through rotten floors.

What would drive a person to put themselves into these situations? The answer is simple yet complex.

It is a love for capturing unique situations, locations, architectures, and going places most others would avoid at all costs.

My photographic passion involves exploring abandoned buildings. Modern parlance calls this urban exploration or urbex for short – though that is not a term I tend to throw around, mostly because urban encompasses only a small portion of what I capture.

These structures are the modern day equivalent of Greece's ancient ruins, or Europe's medieval ruins. While the rest of the world protects their treasures of days [eons even] gone by, we tend to reclaim, remediate or flat out knock down these treasures.

While most people would just see the decay and filth, I see beauty and uniqueness that only time and nature can create. These are my own little slices of ‘life after man'. I see first hand what happens when man no longer intervenes in nature's affairs and spaces are left to be reclaimed by their rightful owner.

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As a kid we thought nothing of going into old buildings that were no longer used. It was just another playground in the concrete jungle. We didn't know that there were risks and dangers. We were fearless. In college we would hang out in abandoned mines and think nothing of it. We were having fun and shrugged off the thought of danger.

Today I am a lot more cautious. The dangers are real; clear and present if sometimes unseen. Lead paint, asbestos and mold are among some of the ‘unseen' dangers. Some of the more apparent being rotten floors, unstable stairs and missing walls. All of these are equally dangerous in reality and one must protect themselves. Many of these buildings are 100 or more years old and have been subjected to the decaying forces of nature for 20 years or more.

I cannot pinpoint one singular event in my life that sparked my interest in exploring and photographing this subject matter. Rather, it was many small things that culminated and brought me to my present position. I was never without a camera and spent many hours on the road driving thru rural areas to and from work, never taking the same way twice, just to break up the boredom. Old farms and barns offered unique landscapes that I truly enjoyed.

I had always been attracted to textures, lines and colors and these old structures had them all. From there I was starting to notice more and more houses, farms, buildings, factories, etc., that were wide open and empty. Curiosity piqued, I ventured up and into them camera in hand. The interiors held more colors, more lines and more textures along with small little crusty details; peeling paint and wallpaper, forgotten furniture, electrical sockets and switches, clothing, etc.

I started out documenting these locations through a photojournalistic approach, taking it all in and showing everything. Eventually I transitioned into creating fine art from the ruins. Over the years my style has evolved and has been heavily influenced by a bevy of talented photographers before me, most notably my close and dear friend, Dave Jackson.

How exactly I find these locations is a question I am asked over and over again.

The answer: getting out and driving. Taking the ‘road less traveled'. Often new highways have cut off access to older areas, thus hastening the decline. It is important to take your time and look. If you are speeding down a country road at 80 miles per hour, you will miss most of what you pass. Winter is a good time for scouting, as everything is less concealed and it is more obvious when a place is no longer cared for.

Another big aspect is networking with other photographers and explorers – we trade locations like young kids trade baseball cards. And of course the Internet is a great resource tool if you know how and where to look!

Now I travel far and wide to see and shoot unique locations across the country. My first priority when planning any trip is finding abandonment to shoot. One could call it an obsession. I just call it a love of photography, and a slight case of eccentricity.

Shooting these types of locations has afforded me a greater appreciation of the technical and compositional aspects of photography. I have learned over the years to see the light as it plays across a scene. I never artificially light my scenes, rather I rely on the natural light. Everything is hand held as I prefer the grittiness that a higher iso gives me.

I was shooting abandonment for many years before I ever pointed my camera at a human subject. The last few years I have ventured into shooting portraits. I love combining the beauty of a fashion shoot with a dirty and decayed location. To me it is the perfect juxtaposition.

I will never stop shooting abandoned buildings, no matter where my photographic journey takes me. It has become that much a part of who I am as a photographer.

Do you photograph abandoned buildings? Does the urban landscape inspire you to create images? Share your thoughts below!