Interview with Rusty of Secret Photography

It seems that photographing graffiti and abandoned buildings go hand in hand. At least it did for myself and a friend of mine named Rusty who I had met on Flickr. I can't remember who commented on whose photo but not long after he was willing to take me into one of downtown Houston's abandoned sites. Rusty has quite a lot of "urban exploration" experience. I joke with him that one day I am going to find a place that he has yet to see, as almost every time I suggest a new location to explore he confesses he has already been. Not only has he been into many amazing places most people wouldn't dare go, he is also a great photographer. I asked him to do a short interview about "urbex" and send me several of his favorite photos he has shot over the years.

Bridge Burner:  What got you into exploring, and what keeps you going back for more?
Rusty:  I have always had an overwhelming curiosity of the unseen and the unattainable. Personally seeing just the exterior of anything makes me wonder what is inside. There is so much history that is unseen, people leave an unbelievable amount of their lives behind in Urban America and I always want to see what history I can find. Unfortunately for parts of Urban America, buildings and homes are being shut up and closed down and nothing is being done with these properties and places. Urban redevelopment has destroyed and removed historic buildings all over the country and I wanted to capture what I could with my camera to preserve what will possibly never be seen again. At first Urban Exploration was trying to get into sealed and shut down Houston just for the sheer thrill of the find. I then found photography as an outlet in my life. I wanted to capture some of these unseen pieces of Urban America.  
BB:  What is your favorite site you have explored?
Rusty:  My favorite site nationwide is the abandoned mining town of Gilman, Colorado where workers of the Eagle Mine resided. The town is located in the Colorado Mountains. The ghostliness of this entire town was overwhelming and saddening. This was just not a mine where men worked but an entire town where people lived their everyday lives and a tragic many lost their lives in the pursuit of sustaining it. Exploring this literal ghost town I found the town’s post office, bowling alley, the school where miner’s children went to receive an education, a movie theater and so many homes. Homes haunted by the souls who had to abandon their lives as they knew them almost 30 years ago. As a side note since Houston is my home and sparked my Urban Exploration, my favorite Houston site to explore is The Savoy Hotel.

BB:  Is photography an essential part of urban exploration for you? Or would you be into exploring even if you were not taking photos?
Rusty:  I started exploring without a camera with just curiosity and excitement of what I could possibly see, find and tell others about it. After finding photography as a hobby I blended the two. Now with my camera in hand, it’s like an appendage, a third arm or second sight. I want to capture for those who can’t go where I have been able to venture and to have a piece of history all my own. I want to capture and create history all through my camera lens. Through my photos I want to give these images to who want to receive them and interpret them any way they would like.

BB:  What is your go to lens?
Rusty:  My wide angle Sigma 10-20mm.
BB:  What one spot is at the top of your list to explore?
Rusty:  Although it was quite impossible my dream venture would be the Catacombs in Paris, France.

BB:  What are the most disturbing or strange things you have come across while doing urbex?
Rusty:  The strangest and most interesting thing I have come across was a solar powered homeless residence. The inventiveness was indescribable, another reason to have a camera in hand at all times. The most disturbing and really most disgusting thing I have ever found in an abandoned building was a monopod used for very personal uses, and yes this monopod used protection.

See more of Rusty's photos here: Secret Photography