“Have you ever seen ghosts while photographing abandoned buildings at night?” It’s one of the most common questions I am asked. I have been places that are allegedly haunted after all.
The creepiest place I have ever photographed
The creepiest place I have ever photographed is Moundsville Penitentiary in West Virginia. Why? It’s a large stone Gothic behemoth of a penitentiary. This imposing place was a last stop for murderers, rapists and thieves. Almost 1,000 men lost their lives here. Between 1876 and 1995, these prisoners were hung, electrocuted, bludgeoned or have committed suicide. Some met grisly deaths in the outside weightlifting area.
A most unsettling room
I began photographing in the Sugar Shack.
This room was basically a free-for-all, a place where the guards looked the other way, a place where gambling, fighting, rape and murder took place. As you might imagine, there was indescribable mayhem, violence and injuries in this room. Chuck Ghent, our guide during our day tour, said, “Things happened in this room that made people call it the ‘Sugar Shack’ … something you may not want to think too much about, heh heh.”
Paranormal investigators have reported hearing whispers, arguments, unexplained noises and cold spots in Sugar Shack. Ghent has said, “I’ve had footsteps walking behind me, and I’ve had doors close behind me.” Ghent worked as a correctional officer in the facility from 1986–1995. “In here, there wasn’t a day when you didn’t wonder if today might be your last day.”
“It just went dark in here!”
Worse, my head lamp died while I was setting up. I finished off a long exposure photo. I felt extremely uneasy there. And given that I regularly explore abandoned places at night, I’m typically not the uneasy sort. I left after that one photo. None of my other friends ever went there.
Was this due to malevolent spirits, ghosts of ones bludgeoned? Or was it because it was dark and creepy? Or because I already knew the history?
I don’t know. But I wanted to leave.
A haunted abandoned water park
The caretaker of the abandoned water park had been giving me a tour. “The gift shop is haunted. There is a painting of a woman on the wall inside. People keep tagging it. But the paint never stays on.”
I asked how long this had been happening. “I’m not sure. It’s been happening for a while, though. Don’t worry, they won’t bother you,” he assured me.
Later that night while photographing, I came across the gift shop.
I ventured in, saw the painting of the woman, and smiled. I shined some blue light on her to give an eerie, bold and cartoonish quality. This sort of light painting would never stay on her. True to the caretaker’s word, the spirits never bothered me.
Shortly after that, an eerie cold wind blew in from nowhere. The air had been still and hot, but the sudden wind was gusty and cooler. Then just as suddenly, it stopped. Whether this was an atmospheric anomaly or the last vestiges of a seance, who can say?
The haunted ghost town from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” film
I photographed the Grafton ghost town in Utah. It was first settled in 1859. Later, it was the site of several movies, including the bicycle scene in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
And of course, it’s rumored to be haunted.
While photographing there, a car pulled up, and some young people got out and began exploring the area for ghosts. They said that they would record on their iPhones, mentioning that sometimes, voices that they didn’t hear initially would show up there.
I am sad to report that I never got any creepiness, weird activities or sounds there. But the people were quite friendly.
Creating my own ghost
Since I have had a dearth of encounters with ghosts, I thought I would create my own ghost. I created a light drawing of a ghost floating over a swing. If you want to learn how I created this, check out this article!
Ghosts
So far, I have had no verifiable, definite encounters with ghosts. I’ve outlined some of my experiences, discussing them here, other articles, and on The Nightaxians YouTube podcast episodes. These may have been the result of paranormal activity. However, they could just as well be attributed to active imagination, weather anomalies, or something else.
However, I have had a number of frightening encounters. I’ve had bats suddenly whizzing past so close that I could feel the “whoosh” of their wings flapping. I’ve had scary encounters with angry burros, frightened birds and curious deer sneaking up on me. And of course, the usual scurrying rodents and other critters.
But for now, I’ve not seen something strange in my neighborhood. I’ve not seen something weird that don’t look good. And I ain’t seen no ghost.
VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
BOOKS AND PRINTS:
Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more. My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!
NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:
Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like)
Instagram
PODCAST:
Behind the Shot video podcast – interview February 2020
VIDEO PRESENTATION:
How We Got the Shots: Five Photographers, Five Stories – Night Photo Summit 2022
VIDEO INTERVIEW:
Ken Lee’s Abandoned Trains Planes and Automobiles with Tim Little of Cape Nights Photography
Conversation about night photography and my book with Lance Keimig of National Park At Night
ARTICLES:
A Photographer Captures Haunting Nighttime Images of Abandoned Buildings, Planes, and Cars in the American Southwest – Business Insider by Erin McDowell
A Photographer Explores Southern California’s Desert Ruins – Los Angeles Magazine article by Chris Nichols
kenleephotography.wordpress.com 