Urbex photog 2e sneaks around decrepit factories, captures excellent low-light images

There’s something about abandoned buildings that makes for haunting, otherworldly photographs. Maybe because we spend most our time in spaces that are maintained to at least some degree, neglected structures really are foreign.

Instead of sitting at a laptop and poking out dime-store philosophy, urban explorer and photographer "2e" takes his camera out around New York at night, shooting incredible photos of run-down apartment blocks, decrepit factories, and subways forgotten by time. Art and culture site Animal followed 2e for a night out on the town, captured in this 5-minute clip (pardon his potty mouth).

Like street artist Banksy in Exit Through the Gift Shop, 2e’s face and voice are obscured in the clip—it’s technically illegal for him to be sneaking around most of these areas, though he’s only taking pictures, not leaving graffiti as some urban explorers do. Cops and security guards don't like to find him roaming around—he warns the cameraman in the clip to be ready to run as they enter a building. But really, what's the harm?

There’s no explicit mention of the gear that 2e uses, but it looks like a Canon 6D. He captures some especially excellent low-light photos from the abandoned Domino sugar factory, and he doesn’t use a flash. Just think of how difficult it would’ve been to get shots like that a few years ago. Sensors have really come a long way.

Read the profile on 2e at Animal, and check out more of his photos on his Instagram page.

(Via Laughing Squid)