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Exploring an abandoned building is risky, but has yielded a great image

A fresh batch of photo fixes

This photo was taken in an abandoned seminary in England, although I have also visited many European countries in search of these places. My thinking was to capture the contrasts between the left side of the corridor, which has endured many years of water ingress, and the right side, which was relatively undamaged.

I am quite obsessive about symmetry and trying to get everything as square as possible when I shoot old buildings. Wandering around abandoned buildings can be a real adventure, from trying to dodge the security that may be there to finding a way in without causing any damage.

It sounds like you have been well and truly bitten by the urbex bug – and this image and the location are terrific, so I can see why. I really like your observation of the moss that’s formed under the leaky roof against the area that is still relatively dry and consequently, moss-free. That carpet of moss really brings a verdant richness to an otherwise near-colourless scene, and you’re drawn into the room and all the little details it has.

I can’t fault your composition either. It is a masterstroke to use the symmetry of the two arches off that central wall, so well done for taking the time to really work out an effective framing for this abandoned room.

The only area that I feel could be improved is the atmosphere your shot portrays. I’d like to see the right-hand side drop more into shadow. I realise this would lose some of the detail, but it would give a greater sense of an enclosed space and make the image much more moody.