Words by Kenzie Trikouros and Daniel Bainbridge. Photos by Daniel Bainbridge.
Daniel Bainbridge is an urban photographer from New Jersey. He explores and photographs local abandoned hospitals, diners, schools, and more.
Dan strives to celebrate optimism and capture the power of nature taking over man-made structures and environments.
Dan shared some of his pictures with us. He described the emotions attached and the intentions behind the shots.
Through Dan’s Lens: Untold Stories of Abandoned Places
Dan: One thing that interests me is the history of the place in question, and learning about what life was like at whatever time I’ve stumbled across.
Some spots are very well preserved, and you get the pleasure of going through files, photo books, newspapers, and other memories.
There was one time I was exploring an abandoned psychiatric institute for troubled children, and we came across a collection of papers scattered around the ground in a dorm room.
The papers were little worksheets with a list of questions for the kids, such as “What is your favorite thing to do at home,” or “What do you like to do in your free time.”
Many of the answers to the questions were upsetting, with topics like suicide and abuse.
Later when I found out that these children were poorly treated, abused, and even killed at this place, it made me even more upset.
The farmhouse shown has a lot of history. I was able to go through photo albums and read love letters between the homeowners.
A family lived there, and the father was a professor who had served in the military.
The love letters between the couple’s early days while the father was on active duty were well preserved.
Every place that you can find yourself in has a history of people, sometimes upsetting, but also sometimes exceptionally beautiful and interesting.
They all tell a story, and exploring these forgotten, abandoned places helps to bring the stories back to life.
The Idea Behind @liminalreality
I got the idea for my username from the “liminal spaces” thing, which has been going around the internet for a few years.
These pictures interest me because they make me feel an emotion that no other picture could make me feel, and I still don’t really understand why.
The definition of “liminal,” is something that is in a space between two worlds, or at a threshold. I think this applies directly to abandoned places and the idea that I try to present.
Follow @liminalreality on Instagram for more pictures from Dan. Subscribe to his YouTube channel for videos and more content!
Words by Kenzie Trikouros and Daniel Bainbridge. Photos by Daniel Bainbridge. If reposting, please credit @liminalreality and @almostfamouszine.
