I often write about nature within abandonment – how it makes its way in to snatch up all that we leave behind. This is one thing that got me so intrigued, pushing me to explore many of these forgotten places. Nature displays such abstract beauty within wild destruction – the contrast is brilliant. We don’t realize how delicate our lives truly are until we witness the fragile pieces fading from life.

From my first book “Empty Spaces”:

“I was fascinated by the way moss and ivy could wrap itself up a man-built machine or around the outside of a building, crawling in through its windows, traveling up an intricate Victorian stairwell as it fell into a corridor. I loved the way a torn apart hallway would lead you to an open room where the shattered remains of a window lie in pieces on the ground while the outside light poured into a room of colorful, peeling walls lighting up the silence surrounding you. It opened my eyes to a whole normally unseen part of life and the world around me.”

“The earth will start to consume the wooden foundation of homes left on its surface, swallowing floors in large pieces, bite by bite. Shattered windows create abstract patterns of light, and strange shapes through open holes in combination with dust floating through the air, sailing the silence of a sunset, hovering through beams to create a physical image of the path created by light from sunrays. Fogged fragments remain in place where they have not yet been knocked free from their frames; now a picturesque frame in itself. Moss, ivy, and even trees begin to grow in the lonely space that used to be a families kitchen, where mother would make breakfast every morning, dressed to start her day in the 1920s’. Now, nearly 100 years has gone by and her kettle, still sits in the same position as when they left; untouched by human, only altered by nature in a beautiful, and aesthetic way.

Nature will always take its course over our man-made arrangement of architecture. It will regain its space, and incorporate our forgotten structures into part of its natural artistic being, leaving a framework of our creations, creating an abstract representation of what once was. Our trash becomes the Earth’s set of tools to take over and create.”

We have reached a strange point in our timeline, where more and more structures have collectively become abandoned over the years, leaving us with a massive collection to sort through. We are faced with a very real representation of “out with the old, in with the new.” As people move from countryside to city, an increasing number of homes will become abandoned, due to their location. These structures will not be here forever, so it is important to document what is being tossed aside, left behind and forgotten. These photographs and writings will provide meaning for future generations, showcasing what once was, and is no more.

Nature can be so beautifully destructive with our construction. Though, when you think about it – is nature actually being constructive with our deconstruction? We abandon things far too easily.

Very often, I’m asked what gear I use for my photography, videography, etc. Questions ranging from what type of camera/cameras I use, what lenses I use, backpacks, memory cards, even what type of laptop I recommend, or what type of introductory camera I recommend…all that stuff, and more!

Well, of course I love to recommend camera gear or adventure gear that I trust and love, so at the end of each post I create here on my blog, I like to give a bit of a run-down on gear I use almost all the time!

So here it is! My entire (or most of it) list of photography/editing/adventure gear that I use.

My Camera (Sony a7riii) – https://amzn.to/2AFtzQv

Alternative Camera – https://amzn.to/2VHjR9h

Theta 360 Camera – https://amzn.to/2CaRwzm

Sandisk Memory Cards – https://amzn.to/2SN5sX6

Sony 16-35 4.0 – https://amzn.to/2HgLFhN

Zeiss 55 1.8 – https://amzn.to/2SK4Dys

Zeiss 85 1.8 Batis – https://amzn.to/2SNRQLm

Laowa 12mm 2.8 Zero-D – https://amzn.to/2AESLXD

My Favorite Backpack – https://amzn.to/2RKTi44

Tripod 1 – https://amzn.to/2SKxxON

Tripod 2 – https://amzn.to/2M2gUM6

MSI Laptop (great for editing, & much more) – https://amzn.to/2shGfZn

My e-books – https://amzn.to/2Bumcwo

Hardcover books and prints available at – www.oddworldstudio.com