

These days, I always take the tracks instead of the streets.” She states this is how you find the “hidden little spots most people don’t know about.” From her early experiences walking the rails, Ninjuhtrixx branched out into exploring abandoned houses in the neighborhood.

“I’d sit there for hours watching the trains go by. I’d escape to quiet and empty places to get away from the turmoil.”Īrmed in those days with a “24 pic single use camera” and later a point-and-shoot, Ninjuhtrixx found herself drawn to places that she describes as “not very popular.” A favorite spot was the LIRR tracks behind her house. “Growing up, I was a loner,” states Ninjuhtrixx. But a crowd is the last place you’ll find this native New Yorker. With her long auburn hair, skintight jeans and day-glo pink particle respirator, Laura Gonzalez Ninjuhtrixx would hardly get lost in a crowd, especially a crowd of urbex photographers. Hear me roar – Photo by Shannon ValeraĪbandoned auditorium – Photo by Shannon Valera To see more of Shannon’s work, visit Turquoise Breeze Photography. But I do feel women are more drawn to detail while men try to capture the whole landscape.” We all walk in knowing what we want to capture.

When asked whether she feels women have a different point of view from male explorers, she states, “I feel everyone has a different point of view. I try to always have someone with me to be on the safe side.” “It is so intriguing to look at family pictures from those days and compare them to what it looks like now.” But while Shannon is drawn to places with personal or historical significance and believes photography is the best way to record the lifecycle of these places, she is also aware of the risks. When out exploring, Shannon looks for places where the “beauty is still intact and a moment in history is frozen in time.” Learning that her grandfather once had a time share at Grossinger’s explains why Shannon has her sights set on visiting the dilapidated Liberty NY resort. I find myself always searching for new places.”

She commented, “This has become a real passion of mine. She’s photographed that crumbling structure many times, but for her senior thesis in photography at the College of New Rochelle, she branched out, shooting Catskills resorts, camps, ruins and other undiscovered places throughout New York. Growing up in Millbrook, NY, Shannon was captivated from an early age by the horror-movie charm of Halcyon Hall at Bennett College. Many of my friends think I’m crazy and don’t see why I do it, but I love shocking people with what I do.” It’s more socially acceptable for men to enjoy it. She says, “I think there are fewer woman drawn to this because morally and socially we’re not supposed to do this. When she is not posing families for formal portraits, you might find Shannon in decidedly darker corners, indulging her passion for “old, run down, dangerous places.” Shannon admits most people find it weird that she would be drawn to these kinds of places.
Young black woman urban explorer professional#
While each woman has a unique voice, vision and perspective, what quickly emerges is the indisputable fact that women in urbex are unintimidated, unafraid, and unwilling to play by anyone else’s rules.Īs a professional wedding photographer, Shannon Valera spends much of her time photographing glowing brides and nervous grooms. The women were candid in their responses, graciously sharing their stories. I was also interested to learn if they thought women brought a distinct, or more feminized sensibility to this type of photography. I asked what drew them to this work and whether they felt women faced challenges their male counterparts did not face. I recently had the chance to interview a group of female explorer/photographers who are just as tough, just as talented and just as dedicated as any black-clad, army boot wearing, particle respiratored male explorer. From abandoned asylums to overgrown ruins, photographing in these perilous places is not for the faint of heart. These are just some of the hazards encountered by photographers and explorers who are drawn to deserted, neglected and derelict places. Laura Gonzalez Ninjuhtrixx – Photo © Ninjuhtrixx
