Thomas Mueller never knows what he’ll find when he enters an abandoned villa: A forgotten painting, a grand staircase, or a caved-in roof. Often, nature has reclaimed the space, with moss covering the walls in green. Once, an owl flew out of nowhere, almost colliding with the photographer’s head—he ducked just in time.
But, every abandoned place shares one trait: The eerie, all-encompassing silence. “You perceive sounds very intensely in a deserted place,” Mueller tells me. The slightest whisper of wind blowing open doors and windows can send shivers down his spine.
Mueller has been documenting abandoned buildings worldwide since 2008, the year he got his first SLR and his interest in urban exploration (“urbex”) was born.
His first adventure, fifteen years ago now, took him to a forsaken factory. Its steel beams had been melted during a fire and were no longer able to hold the weight of the roof. Moss blanketed the ground. He describes the scene as “apocalyptic.”
He was hooked.
License these images via Thomas Mueller. Clockwise from top right: Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of ½ second and ISO 100. Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of 15 seconds and ISO 100. Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of 2.5 seconds and ISO 100. Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with an exposure time of 5 seconds, f/8, and ISO 100.
Mueller photographs abandoned places all over the world, but villas and mansions like the ones pictured here, most of them scattered across Western Europe, are some of his favorites.
“They let you immerse yourself in a bygone era,” he says.
License these images via Thomas Mueller. Clockwise from top right: Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of 30 seconds and ISO 100. Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of 15 seconds and ISO 200. Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV camera with an exposure time of 8 seconds, f/8 aperture, and ISO 100.
Many of these mansions were once owned by the very rich and designed by the best architects money could buy, and can date back more than a hundred years. Some were abandoned due to financial troubles, or when new generations moved away from the countryside and into cities, leaving the grand houses and castles behind.
While some of these places are still owned by someone willing to hire security for their protection, others have been completely forgotten.
The artist follows an ethical rule established by the urbex photography community: He does not share specific locations. These places are vulnerable to targeting by thieves and vandals, so they’re kept closely under wraps.
With that being said, if you prove yourself to be trustworthy, other photographers might take you under their wing and share locations, under the condition that they will not be shared further.
Sometimes, Mueller’s photographs require quite a bit of detective work.
“When I travel, I always like to look at the surroundings on the Google Maps satellite view and check for buildings that look abandoned or maybe already show a broken roof,” he says.
He also browses social media for clues about where buildings might be located—although, according to the urbex code of conduct, exact locations are almost never shared explicitly. Sometimes, he can figure the location out on his own by looking closely at photographs others have captured.
License these images via Thomas Mueller. Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of 1 second and ISO 100. Left: Shot using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera with an exposure time of 4 seconds, f/8 aperture, and ISO 100.
Some mansions are easier to access than others, so Mueller always makes a detailed plan for how to enter without leaving a footprint or doing any damage to the space. He also takes care not to be noticed.
While these mansions are abandoned, neighbors are often on the lookout for trespassers and will call the police if something seems amiss. Usually, he’s in and out within about an hour or two.
Abandoned buildings are dangerous, so Mueller travels with a group of photographers who look out for each other in case of an accident. Another rule: Double and triple-check ceilings before ever visiting a higher floor, as floors can collapse.
The photographer always brings a torch and checks for holes in the floor before proceeding down dark corridors.
And, these places are dark. For that reason, the photographer always mounts his Canon R5 camera (his current workhorse) on a Feisol tripod. Long exposures of one to thirty seconds mean that he can keep his ISO low to preserve image quality.
Additionally, he often uses exposure bracketing, combining the images in post-production to cover a dynamic range and capture details that wouldn’t be possible with a single exposure.
As a general guideline, Mueller uses natural light only, preferring the softness of the golden hour and overcast days to bright, harsh sunlight.
“I don’t use external light sources because they take away the aura of the room,” he reflects.
There are exceptions that prove the rule: Once, after repelling four meters into the basement of an abandoned theater after dark, he and his friends set up 400 tea lights to fill the space with a warm, natural glow. Flashlights just wouldn’t do.
That’s another reason to travel in groups: Your colleagues will have ideas you might have overlooked, and you can work together to solve problems. Also, as Mueller puts it, “It’s simply more fun together.”
Mueller’s current favorite lens for photographing interiors these days is the super-wide Canon EF 11-24mm. With an 11mm focal length, he can capture the entirety of a room, even if he’s working in tight spaces.
Height is also a factor. His tripod extends to 2.1 meters, but if that’s not enough, he’ll use tables or chairs as well. By getting up high and shooting level with his subject, he can keep the lines straight.
Some of the places Mueller has photographed are well-known among urbex-ers, but most are hidden gems discovered only after careful research. In many ways, those are the most precious locations, as the artist knows he’s one of few people to have entered these spaces in decades.
Once, while exploring a palace in Portugal, he saw what he first believed to be a stucco on the wall along a magnificent staircase. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t a stucco at all but a painting.
“It was a great masterpiece,” the artist says. About six months ago, he saw that someone else had visited and taken photographs of that same palace—but, by that time, the painting had been vandalized with spray paint.
Ultimately, in some cases, photographs like Mueller’s are the only remaining documents of places that are not only at risk of being forgotten but also of being destroyed. The pictures, therefore, are more than works of art. They’re slices of history, preserving the memory of these houses for generations to come.
License these images via Thomas Mueller. Clockwise from top right: Vaulted ceilings. Map room. Green room.
Browse more work by Thomas Mueller over at his Offset portfolio. You can also follow along on Instagram at @thomasmueller.photography, and check out his photography website for inspiration.
License this cover image via Thomas Mueller.
