Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration [Paperback]

Troy Paiva (Author), Geoff Manaugh (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2008

A booming subculture is on the rise: dubbed Urban Exploration, it involves sneaking into abandoned or off-limits factories, aviation "boneyards," decommissioned bases, and other derelict features of the military/industrial landscape. Troy Paiva is a foremost photographer of the UrbEx (as it's known to its devotees) phenomenon, and his distinctive blend of atmospheric night photos and lighting effects are the visual hallmarks of a scene that has drawn the increasing attention of the media and the publicas seen in recent programs on both the Discovery Channel ("Urban Explorers") and MTV ("Fear"). Illuminated by histories of the sites documented, Night Vision reveals the remarkable discoveries of a new generation of explorers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Troy Paiva is an author, photographer, and urban explorer.

Geoff Manaugh is the author of the popular Web site BLDGBLOG. http://bldgblog.blogspot.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Printing edition (June 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811863387
• ISBN-13: 978-0811863384
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 0.6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Troy Paiva, AKA Lost America, has been creating light painted night photography in abandoned locations and junkyards since 1989. His documentarian, yet surrealist-sometimes playful, sometimes haunting work examines the evolution and eventual abandonment of the communities, infrastructure and social iconography spawned during America's 20th century expansion into the cities and deserts of the West-and the intensely exhilarating, yet strangely comforting act of sneaking around in the middle of the night, creating art from its ruins.

Over the last eleven years this website has gone viral repeatedly, spawning millions of hits. Troy's imagery has appeared in print, in over a dozen countries-including three Stephen King book covers-and two award-winning monographs: "Lost America: Night Photography of the abandoned Roadside West" in 2003 (Motorbooks International), and "Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration" in 2008 (Chronicle Books). Troy's work has appeared in museums and galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Sweden and San Francisco. In 2010 and 2011 he appeared as a guest judge on the Singapore reality TV show The Big Shot.

The current craze over light painted night photography in abandoned places started right here, with this website, back in 1999. As a result, Troy's low cost, high impact light painting techniques have been emulated all over the world. The "Lost America" body of work is a true original.

Troy can be easily reached by e-mail: [e-mail]

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The color of black August 10, 2008

By Robin Benson

Format:Paperback

I thought this collection of Paiva's night photos much better than his previous 2003 book Lost America: The Abandoned Roadside West mainly because Lost was issued by Motorbooks, a publisher of picture books rather than photo books which unfortunately meant that Paiva's images were mixed together with text in rather bland spreads. Chronicle Books are much more sympathetic to creative endeavors and with 'Night Vision' they give these remarkable photos the presentation they deserve.

All the photos pages are black which certainly enhances their appeal and air of desolation but it also throws up Paiva's use of colored spots which, by now, is clearly his trademark. The five photo chapters reveal a wonderful selection of man-made abandonment. Chapter five featuring photos of the Aviation Warehouse at El Mirage, California is my favorite. To my mind nothing looks so dead and poignant as scrapped jetliners with miles of cabling, spars and struts from a half dismantled fuselage and cockpits with dust covered instrument clusters. The twenty-six photos capture all this so well.

The four other chapters cover: the abandoned Byron Hot Springs Hotel between Oakland and Stockton, California; Desert; Southern Pacific's Oakland train station in all its crumbling splendor and decommissioned military bases. This last photo section could easily make a separate book with plenty of abandoned bases across the US.

In the front of the book Paiva writes about his photo technique and adventures as a solitary nighttime snapper. He also writes a short intro to each photo chapter. The layout and printing are fine (with 175 screen) though I thought the blue captions on each page are rather hard to read in a domestic lighting environment.

'Night Vision' delivers some wonderful images in a format they deserve rather than the bland presentation that weakened the photos in 'Lost America'.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An After Dark Joy Ride July 23, 2010

By Magellanous

Format:Paperback

Both of Troy's books are great. This one, his most recent, puts you along side for a ride into the desert night. Being from New England, these places are very alien to me and to be able to experience them through this book is fun. This book has a good balance of imagery and descriptive history/commentary. I've loaned this book out to several people who have all commented how unique and interesting it is. If you like this one, grab his older one "Lost America" if you can still find it! It's well worth owning.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark Side September 25, 2012

By don

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

At first I was leary of going out into the night for shoots. I usually shoot alone, and in remote areas of Alberta and B.C.
This book has taught me how to relax, know my surrounding, with a day time look around, and setting up for a night shoot...

To Relax, at night , in the pitch black ? Was always the Dark Side for me...now I am getting better shots....the ideas and guidelines are
great and give a lot of to the point advice , how to shoot and how to enjoy the time.