What triggered it
Seeing decaying industrial spaces photographed well and wanting to learn the stories behind them.
Goal
Document places and histories responsibly while avoiding dumb risk.
What I did
Collected maps, read local history forums, took photo walks around legal perimeters, and built a note archive around sites of interest.
Summary notes
The archival side lasted longer than the actual exploring side, which was probably healthy.
Lessons learned
- Research can satisfy most of the curiosity without forcing risky access decisions.
- Photography and history notes were the enduring part, not the adrenaline.
Mistakes and dead ends
- Spent too much time chasing exact locations from vague online hints.
- Romanticized places before understanding safety and legality.