Photographer Skaterbate is Documenting the Forgotten

https://www.instagram.com/skaterbate is a photographer who is documenting the decay of abandoned buildings throughout the United States. Skaterbate has been exploring and documenting abandoned buildings for almost a decade. He has traveled to nearly all of the Contiguous United States in order to photograph these forgotten buildings. He finds the history and architecture of these buildings to be important to be preserved.

The act of exploring abandoned properties is often referred to as Urban Exploration or “Urbex” for short. Skaterbate combines this hobby of urbexing with his passion for photography to share images of buildings that the general public may not witness for themselves. A lot of history is lost in these buildings. Architecture that is no longer replicated and becoming sort of a rarity to see in person. Often they are too expensive to tear down so they sit and decay for years.

The act of exploring these abandoned buildings is often dangerous, as each new building offers a chance of being hurt or getting in trouble. Often the roofs and floors are in decline, leading to potential collapse. Wild animals often seek refuge from the elements and become trapped. People will also take over these buildings as a place to stay or even scrap anything of value. On top of the health hazards that are ubiquitous throughout abandoned buildings, there is also the risk of getting busted for trespassing. The property owners do not want to be responsible for anyone getting injured or killed on their property so they are often littered with warnings of “NO TRESPASSING”. Neighbors of abandoned properties are often aware when a nearby building had become a hotspot for urbexers and it becomes increasingly difficult to get into these spots without being seen.

To see the newest content and photographs from Skaterbate you can follow his Instagram account @skaterbate as this is where he posts the majority of his work. He also runs his website https://www.skaterbate.com, which you can find full resolution pictures.