Belgian photographer and airline plot Henk van Rensbergen photographs old, abandoned buildings with smashed windows, empty factories overgrown with plants and vines, and obsolete industrial complexes that are slowly being reclaimed by mother nature. It is quite beautiful to see the decay of man-made structures as materials return to their natural state of disorder. The photography is extraordinary.
There are photographs of an abandoned coal mine in Belgium, a forsaken coking plant in Germany, a decaying old hospital in Liege in French-speaking Belgium, a forsaken refinery in Leuna, and graffiti-covered buildings in a ghost village. These places would make some awesome locations for fashion photography if you could find some very brave and adventurous fotomodels. Some of the places look a little scary, like the ghosts of the past might wake up and greet you.
I remember as a teenager exploring abandoned factories in Brooklyn where I grew up. If it was empty and there was any way to get inside, we felt we were entitled to be there. We didn’t think we were trespassing or breaking any laws because the places were abandoned. (Of course if we saw the cops we would hide or take off.) One building I recall was an old meat-packing plant that had a rolling conveyor system hanging from the ceiling. We would take a running start, grab the hook and see how far we could ride it. Like an amusement park ride! Another place was an empty sanitation disposal plant. Very dangerous.
Mr. van Rensbergen began photographing these old wrecks in 1988. These places are often difficult and illegal to enter, but for him they are clearly worth the danger and risk of arrest. He has a book you can order Abandoned Places. Visit the Photo Galleries on the website abandoned-places.com
