Urbex Detroit

I recently found a great little video about Detroit.
You can see it by clicking here:

Detroit Video

This video is produced by a boot company. I guess they make these little documentaries about places that appeal to the type of folks who would wear their boots, in this case youthful urban explorers - the ones who like to explore abandoned and decaying urban places. The term they use for this is urbex, a hipster blending of the words urban and exploration.

We have lots of urbex photographers in Detroit. And I wish I was one of them, or could at least get one of them to take me along on an exploration some time. I'm fascinated by these places, and especially by the kinds of photographs they inspire.

Here's one by Derek Farr, also known as Detroit Derek:



There is debate over the worth of these types of photos. There are those who say they make Detroit's already bad image worse. And I tend to agree with that opinion, it is a shame that this is what most people think of when they think of Detroit, but there's no denying that the images are stunning. It's incredible to witness such great history and architecture gone to ruin. Not to mention it's perfect fodder for the kind of close-up abstracts and industrial photos I love to take!

Thanks Derek for letting me use your photo!