© Christopher Dame
If you’re primarily an on-location photographer or filmmaker, then you know how much value a great location can add to the shoot. So today I’m introducing another Series (ala the ‘Emerging Talent’ and others…) where I feature supercool locations around the world. Stuff I discover, stuff that other send me, places I’d love to shoot. Of course feel free to chime in, share, link, or otherwise contribute in your own way. Onward…
After being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Six Flags New Orleans has been completely abandoned, left to be pounded by the weather and nature without anyone around to care for it. Rickety rollercoasters develop rust, forgotten carousel horses look upon the empty pathways with sad painted eyes, and concession stands will never again feed a hungry child. While the general public is strictly forbidden to trespass on this post apocalyptic dream scene, a few brave photographers have risked arrest and dangerous conditions to shoot some incredible photographs of this now surreal place. Click through the gallery tabs above to see for yourself. Stunning opportunities abound…
Anybody shot here or know someone who has? I’m curious.
If you’ve got other locations you want to share – fire me off a few photos and some info and I may feature it in the future.
[...and Don' Forget...While I have pushed boundaries on shooting at special locations in my career, I am not advocating that YOU break the law and shoot here or at any 'off-limits' location. What I can say is that creativity and collaboration with others can often get you through some hurdles that are not overtly "open" locations... And most people who wrangle "closed" locations are interested in...um... money and other possible perks that letting you shoot at a particular place might afford them... Getting access to special locations is something I've done regularly with good results - it's an art not a science. Generally speaking, all commercial photoshoots should be permitted and paid for and trespassing is illegal. If you go Rambo on this, or any location I'll point out in this future series of posts, you may get a high five from somebody, but you're doing so under your own free will. You may or may not get some incredible shots. ]
I live in New Orleans and have shot at Six Flags a couple of times. Awesome and very odd location! Recently shot a great fashion editorial there. You can have a look on my site. http://www.craigmulcahy.net or here http://500px.com/CMulcahy/stories/33080/fashion-editorial-sixflags-new-orleans
Cheers!
Craig
Great shots, Craig!
In Pearland, TX there is an abandoned 64,000 Mansion. I’ve walked around it before but never shot there. It’d be pretty cool though. http://www.houstonpress.com/slideshow/inside-pearlands-mystery-mansion-28210464/
weston asylum in WV – http://stories.icanstoptime.com/weston
This past January I was lucky enough to be visiting New Orleans when a friend told me about and brought me to the abandoned Six Flags. It’s an incredibly eerie and surreal place to be. Definitely had some hesitation walking through the front gate, but once we got inside I was entranced by this massive theme park frozen in time for the last 6 years. Luckily I had my camera in hand and got enough to put together a photo essay for my website. Check it out at http://thejohndubois.com/Photo-Essays
These pictures remind me of the Prypiat amusement park.
There is an awesome/eerie video done of this Six Flags.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcja8UBtXdk
That place looks amazing, I really wanna shoot there.
This looks totally sick…I have a weird with urban decay, any cool places in arizona that anyone knows about?? I only know of one place in phoenix…
theres an abandoned airport in Arizona
Why does the state and city let this death trap still exist.
They should make SIX FLAGS clear it out.
So many reasons…mostly cuz six flags barely owns it, city can’t come to an agreement on rehab with potential developers, owners and city can’t come to agreements…such a long involved story. The place was just about bankrupt before Katrina. What do you expect from an amusement park that sits in the middle of a swamp? I drove by there on may way to and from work every day for four years after Katrina…at least it has high fences etc and is out in the middle of nowhere…only a deathtrap to those that seek it out unlike the many many houses in neighborhoods around the city that are potential deathtraps.
I used to love scouting the well known hellingly mental asylum in sussex. http://www.flickr.com/photos/enticknap/2685598128/in/set-72157606808836329
I always wanted to take some models and shoot but never got the nerve
I shot a few frames there in 2009, I sneaked in for 10 minutes while my wife was waiting for me with the motor running. It was scary!
http://fabtranzerphotography.com/blog/?p=2951
I know Chris Luckhardt talked about shooting there last year. I wish I could find the link for it now, but it was on the Full Frame podcast. I’m pretty sure the podcast is dead now, but the archives are still up at http://www.perpetualradio.com/fullframe Chris’ website is at http://chrisluckhardt.com and you can see some of his Six Flags pictures on there. Looks like a very cool place to shoot. He tells a great story about his time in there.
Chris Luckhardt? Never heard of him.
Full Frame ended, but I started up a new photography podcast with Ren: http://www.motionblurmedia.ca/podcasts/picture-this
This instagram user has been posting a series of shots from 6 flags .
http://statigr.am/viewer.php#/user/15627406/
Small world! I gave him the information on how to get into Six Flags.
How DO you get in there? Planning a photo trip to New Orleans the later half of October.
Chris- I’m looking to do a shoot out there for Amelie G magazine in the next week or so. What’s the deal with access? What are the restrictions?
Lana
I to go with my Sun I am 1 like to take I am 1 like to take some pictur is it worth gettin is it worth getting in he 17 an he 17 and I do not want us to get caught in arrested.
I thought that this was being demolished in 2011? Evidently not? It’s on my bucket list, but I fear it will be demolished before I get there!
Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo, NY was an awesome abandoned building to sneak into to take pics, and um.. souvenirs of sorts. Now its being restored, so its easier to gain access and looks a lot better with the restoration underway.
Dogpatch USA. Arkansas. A theme park from 1968-93. It is abandoned. Also, several abandoned projects of former popular televangelist Jim Bakker. Herigage USA is one. Many of his “projects” were multi million dollar fetes, that usually were never completed and have now been abandoned and left in disrepair. While both have been photographed by a trespassor or here and there, none do either justice to the state they are currently in.
Dogpatch USA http://www.abandonedok.com/dogpatch-u-s-a/
Heritage http://illicitohio.com/SBNO/heritage/tour036.htm
Abandoned futuro-style housing development on the coast in Taiwan. http://www.craigfergusonimages.com/2011/03/taiwans-other-pod-village/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lensartwork/sets/72157617220524223/
Michigan Central Station in Detroit, MI. One of the greatest urban ruins in the country.
Tried to get in there last week. Unfortunately Homeland security has it completely locked down and monitor it constantly
I have friends who still get inside. It’s all about timing.
The Eastown Theatre in Detroit. Completely abandoned and easily accessible. I just returned from doing a photo shoot with a band for a magazine and it was an amazing place to work in. We shot in there for 4 hours and weren’t bothered at all. I can’t post any of the band photos yet but I’ve posted links to a few of the interior shots I took.
Address: 8041 Harper Avenue, Detroit, MI 48213
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150906353283273&set=a.486171093272.277469.130324488272&type=1&theater
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150971476673273&set=a.486171093272.277469.130324488272&type=1&theater
i live about 45 min from new orleans, i’ve visited the six flags site twice now. its supposed to be demolished this summer (they’ve said this before) i plan to go out one more time soon before they demolish it.
here are the photos i took from the last visit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrellrhodesmiller/sets/72157629396013111/
I shot Six Flags last June. Here are a couple of photos:
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/motionblur/5930287503/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/motionblur/5895814044/
Even better, I visited Japan’s abandoned Nara Dreamland amusement park last month: http://www.flickr.com/photos/motionblur/sets/72157629625826728/
Find it fairly up to the photographers to cross the limitations and create! Great post!
Really break taking pictures. Beauty lies in the vision.
While this location in NOLA is awesome we locals know you should stay out of there for multiple reasons. Number one the cops are patrolling it very heavily now, the fines are outrageous. And secondly it is very very dangerous due to violent crime. It is one of the coolest places on the planet but we don’t recommend shooting here. Just a head’s up to those thinking of ‘breaking’ in.
+1
I know a handful of photographers that have been in Six Flags in the past month. None of them encountered any problems with cops or violence. However, your own results may vary. As with all urban exploration locations, timing is of the essence.
There is also a beautiful abandoned amusement park in Berlin. It was formerly the Spree park I think. Incredible setting.
Great subjects help as well
http://www.cameronbrown.ca/blog/2012/05/vancouver-burlesque-festival-finale-the-vogue-theater/
It helped lot. You have great blog . there is lot of stuff which is readable and useful.
Be sure to check out the abandoned Chinatown theme park in Orlando, FL and the abandoned Disneyland in China: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNcuAOEzOy4&feature=youtube_gdata_player.
http://www.cowichanbaycurrent.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Queen-of-Sidney.jpg
I have shot there a few times on my downtime from my travels to New Orleans. Its a great place to shoot but be care full there is gators around and inside the park and the third time I shot there I was caught by the police but managed to BS my way out with press credentials. The cops were cool they were just concerend with squaters and vandals. I have heard recently that its dew to be torn down sometime this year tho so go soon if you want to see it. I have some pics on my flickr and I recently went to the aboundoned Turnpike tunnel in PA were some scenes from the movie the Road was filmed you can see on my 500px site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10333218@N04/5570501708/in/photostream
http://500px.com/timjacksonphoto
this is a ling shot, but I’m in Nola til Thursday (5/17) and am hoping to get out to the six flags. A bunch of my friends went last year and said it’s not to be missed.
Problem is I don’t have a car. Also sounds like it’s more highly patrolled and more dangerous now. Is it possible to get out by bus or get dropped off nearby by taxi? Or is it just too dangerous/not worth it?
We’re in exactly the same boat! We’re also not Americans, so we’re afraid of getting deported.
That’d definitely put a damper on the trip
. Anyone with experience have thoughts? I think it’s going to have to be sunrise tomorrow or nothing. Would love to get some expert advice!
For the curious, I ended up taking the bus and went around sunset. It’s not the fastest way, but I did get to see a lot of the city. I never felt unsafe. I’m a girl and I went alone. A word of warning, there looked to be work being done near the old wooden coaster. There were a bunch of freshly cut branches in a neat pile and two trash bags filled with leaves. If you do go, go late, early, or on the weekend. Otherwise you might run into workers :/
looks like an amazing location to shoot at, would be such a cool spot for a fashion shoot.
i have recently done an art nude shoot with a model at an abondoned shool near london, uk… there is a company renting out old abondoned buildings for next to nothing as ‘live in security’. the indoor basketball was still preped for the final exam with 100s of tables and chairs and most the rooms look like class will be back tomorrow
http://mostphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/art-nude-shoot.html
This is an awesome photo location. There is something mysterious/eery about abandoned places.
is this place still around?
this site collects tons of obscure locations around the wold.
some good photospots. always worth checking out when youre traveling.
http://atlasobscura.com/
Perhaps my experience at Six Flags New Orleans was not typical, but I was there last year (2011) and got arrested. Initially, I went in alone, and saw a number of people in there already. But within twenty minutes, all of us were arrested and charged with trespassing. The entire group spent the next eight hours in holding, and we ended up at Orleans Parish Prison (OPP). It was a HIGHLY UNPLEASANT experience, yet few of the blogs that talk about this place bother to mention this danger. So if you do plan to go, prepare for the worst. Make arrangements with someone to have the bail money (approximately $150) ready. It is a marvelous, beat-down place, so in a way, it’s worth it. But the arrest is a huge pain in the ass. It’s also worth noting that the NOPD officers do NOT find it amusing that people come from far and wide to celebrate a reminder of what was lost.
[Oh and for the record, the following afternoon, the prosecutor more or less allowed us to enter an obscure plea (a term I can't remember at the moment) under which I accepted the charge without further fines or jail time.I therefore have an arrest on my record, but no conviction. A rather expensive and time-consuming flirtation with the Louisiana justice system, just to see an abandoned amusement park with my own eyes.]
Old Miami Marlins (Minor League) Stadium in Downtown Miami – Wynwood Area. AKA Bobby Maduro Stadium. http://carlosfernandezphotography.com/what-do-peter-frampton-and-the-miami-marlins-have-in-common
I think that I use that great post to my job
I went to six flags last week. the place is super creepy but awesome. here are some of my shots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49775268@N07/sets/72157632128752880/
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FYI: Went to Six Flags New Orleans today to try and take some pics. THere was a security guard at the gate and a lot of construction workers on site so we couldn’t get in. SGuard saud someone purchased it and has plans to build a mall of some sort.
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