A trip to an abandoned world!
Sands of time by Romain Veillon
What do we leave behind us? After a place is no more, deserted by human beings, what’s left of it? You might probably think, like many other people, that any place left behind is demolished or simply taken over by new investors and turned into a completely different thing… That would be for the luckiest of them!
The fact is, there are more abandoned places than we think out there! There are derelict hospitals, churches, factories and even theme parks! Ghost towns are not only the invention of talented screenwriters in Hollywood, they’re very much real; Bodie and Pripyat being the most famous amongst Urban Explorers!
Today, we’re interviewing Romain Veillon who photographs abandoned places for the beautiful atmosphere they’re offering! Kolmanskop, Buzludzha, Epecuen,… he has travelled to document what was left after humanity had gone, leaving everything in a post-apocalyptic state. Follow the path of this French photographer, always eager to show us how magnificent those places were (and still are…) through breath-taking pictures!
The aesthetic I feel is very important and I try to translate it as much as possible.
print24:
Could you tell us more about your story? What inspired you to be a photographer?
Home sweet home by Romain Veillon
Romain:
As a matter of fact, I have always been fascinated by abandoned places and I’ve always felt the need to explore them whenever I could. And then one day, I took my camera with me to capture what I was seeing – those photos were mostly taken to keep track of good memories. Then, little by little, I went for a more aesthetic approach to catch a place’s atmosphere. I focused on breathing life back into them through my photographs. I realised that there were also people that liked taking pictures of those derelict places all over the world.
print24:
Where is that passion for abandoned places coming from?
Romain:
I’m fascinated by them since childhood. I would imagine that, as many people, discovering the decaying house at the end of the street is a memory we all have deep inside of us. When I encounter such a place, my first reflex is to try to imagine what stories lie behind the ruins that are left, how the place was back in its heydays and what reasons brought it to be deserted by human beings. The aesthetic I feel is very important and I try to translate it as much as possible. Those places are like travelling back in time where you can venture and observe fragments of past lives.
print24:
How do you prepare yourself before visiting an abandoned place? Before going, do you do some research about the place and its history?
Romain:
Of course, I always make sure to know more about the story of the place I’m about to photograph (and that’s also how I find most of them and what makes me eager to take their pictures). I don’t necessarily get ready for any shooting and always bring the same gears with me: my camera, lenses, tripod, wipes, gloves, flashlight, a bottle of water…
Home sweet home by Romain Veillon
print24:
What is your secret to create such beautiful photographs?
Romain:
Thank you very much, that’s really nice! It really is such a pleasure to see when one’s work is appreciated. If anything, I’m doing my best to show the beauty of those places as they often have the bad reputation of being either gloomy or sinister. I try to play with the light to breathe life back into those locations where the time stands still and to show that we can find beauty even in the most unexpected places. Moreover, these castles and other buildings are already so incredible and unique that it makes my work easier.
Memento Mori by Romain Veillon
print24:
Hospitals, castles, factories, deserts,… what are the locations you’re more inspired from: outdoors or indoors?
Romain:
It mostly depends on the location actually, even if I photograph indoors more often because I find them more interesting. Both are the same but I think that limiting yourself to only doing outdoors is a bit of a shame and that it’s not possible to catch the atmosphere of a place without entering it. As long as I can imagine what the daily life of the location was whilst it was still “alive”, I’m happy.
print24:
What’s the most incredible thing you photographed during your explorations?
Romain:
The Kolmanskop village in Namibia would be the one. This was an extraordinary trip and I already had noticed this location in an article from the National Geographic. This place really fascinated me. I was lucky enough to go there for an entire week and to spend my days geting lost in this village. It’s as if time had stopped. All those houses being eaten bit by bit by the sand gives it an even eerier atmosphere. This is my most beautiful experience but I also hope I will have many other great ones!
Print24:
In the heart of Paris, the Molitor pool was a well-known location for Urban Explorers and Street Artists. Today, the place has been renovated and has now become a luxury hotel. What do you think about it? Right or wrong?
Romain:
I’m always really happy when an abandoned place can have a second chance by being restored. Of course, the location can lose its charm for me and is no longer a photographic inspiration. But I also think this is really nice to be able to come back to it a bit later and to see it evolve into something full of life. I wasn’t living too far away from it myself when I was young and I really was fascinated by the Molitor pool. I had the chance to go there several times, even during some evening outs. I could really feel a very unique and peculiar atmosphere. My mother was going there too when she was young; she also has a lot of memories of the place.
Constanta by Romain Veillon
Constanta by Romain Veillon
print24:
On your website, we can see 6 categories in your gallery: Residential, Industrial, Medical, Religious, leisure and miscellaneous. What type of place do you like the most and why?
Romain:
This has changed a little bit now! Like I said, I have no preferences. It will depend on the location’s story, its architecture or the traces of the life left behind. For now, I have a soft spot for places where nature is slowly taking everything over and where you can feel a post-apocalyptic atmosphere where mankind has disappeared. Otherwise, the more it has an interesting story, is visually stunning, the more I like it.
Buzludzha by Romain Veillon
print24:
What abandoned place haven’t you visited yet but are eager to?
Romain:
The next one! Honestly, I don’t even know. This will depend on my research and the opportunities I will have. As I’ve always associated this passion with my travels, I’m mostly thinking about the countries I want to visit and then about the location. The more I am feeling in another world, the happier I am. I hope my next travels will bring me to Asia which is a continent I never really had the chance to know.
print24:
It’s dangerous to visit abandoned places. What advises would you give to the photographers willing to become an Urban Explorer? What are the absolute rules?
Romain:
This is very dangerous and not a lot of people take those risks really seriously when exploring. The time has often deteriorated the location and the floors are therefore rotten. You really need to be careful where you walk. As for the rules, I don’t think we can say they are absolute; the most important thing is to respect the place you’re visiting and to leave it the way you found it. That old saying says it all “We’re only taking pictures and leaving the marks of our path behind us”. It is also very important to not tell anyone where the location is if we don’t want them to be vandalized.
Epecuen by Romain Veillon
print24:
Do you have any other projects unrelated to Urban Exploration?
Romain:
For now, it is my main subject in photography; and as long as my passion is there, I don’t see why I’d change it! I will carry on enjoying these opportunities and trips whilst turning these abandoned places into an eternal memory with my photos, that’s for sure. I have other photographic projects I’d like to develop but this is kept secret for now! And I also have some writing projects as it is one of my passions too!
Would you like to see more of Romain’s photographs? Follow him on:
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