// you’re reading...

Interview

Leland Kent p1

READERSVOICE.COM aims to collect a few interesting reading tips. Leland Kent is a photographer who visits forgotten and abandoned locations around the Southeastern USA. His photographs can be seen on abandonedsoutheast.com.  And he has five books of atmospheric photographs of these houses, buildings, factories and other sites, including their fascinating histories.

The places Leland Kent photographs have somehow survived the years, albeit in a state of decay. It’s tempting to imagine the people who lived and worked at these locations. Old schools, funeral parlours, theme parks and theatres, and isolated plantations. But the real people are long gone. It’s amazing that the buildings are still there.

Mr Kent photographs them for historic purposes. And his researches dig up some fascinating backstories. He is the author of five books of these photos, including Abandoned New Orleans and Abandoned North Florida.

READERSVOICE.COM: When did you start driving across the Southeastern USA photographing old buildings and other locations, and how many buildings might you visit on a typical early trip?

LELAND KENT: I have been traveling around photographing abandoned places since 2014 and created the blog two years later. I never really have a set number of places to visit. I try to visit as many as I can. Over a weekend, I have visited as many as 25 places.

RV: There were eight locations in the Abandoned New Orleans book. How many locations would you visit on a typical trip?

LK: The New Orleans book was a collection of places I visited from 2015-2019 and mainly centered around Charity Hospital. I never really have a set number. I try to visit as many places as possible. Sometimes these places aren’t worth photographing or are too far destroyed. I tried to include places in the book people would relate to and are interested in learning about.

-continued next page.

-copyright readersvoice.com.