Photographing abandoned buildings?

If a building is abandoned, and there are no posted signs, if you take photos and share in contest or sell on stock photo site, is there anyway you could get in trouble?

You could fall through a rotten floor like a friend of mine did.

Same here. A lot of buildings are abandoned because they are structurally unsound. Even if this is not the case, dangers abound in this situation. You may not run into people living in the abandoned building, put if you do, they may be less than welcoming. Depending on where you are, you could be caught entering or exiting the building, and charged with trespass.

Cyclingeezer wrote: Same here. A lot of buildings are abandoned because they are structurally unsound. Even if this is not the case, dangers abound in this situation. You may not run into people living in the abandoned building, put if you do, they may be less than welcoming. Depending on where you are, you could be caught entering or exiting the building, and charged with trespass.

Even if there are absolutely no trespassing signs around the building?   

TCav wrote: You could fall through a rotten floor like a friend of mine did.

Famous last words:  I'm careful on inspecting my surroundings, if anything looks questionable, I don't go in.  

Is your friend OK?

Don Granger wrote: Is your friend OK?

It was when we were kids. The floor collapsed under him, and he fell to his chest because his arms were outstretched.We pulled him up, and he was fine, but he didn't hang around long, and never went in there again.

Man, to many homeless people in places like that.  You have expensive camera gear, many of these people have nothing to lose.   Be careful.  

Don Granger wrote: If a building is abandoned, and there are no posted signs, if you take photos and share in contest or sell on stock photo site, is there anyway you could get in trouble?

I'm pretty sure that if you shoot from public property, you should have little to worry about.

I do a fair bit of abandoned sites. Houses, military installations, industrial... visited a lot of each. Here's my take to your question. Bear in mind I'm based in Germany so my answers will be relevant here; they may or may not be relevant where you are.

1) Sharing/selling photos. Generally not an issue unless you're on private property (must be signed). Government/military stuff is trickier since it remains government/military property and they can be very possessive but not always. I have uploaded some military stuff, nothing happened so far. As a general rule don't include the location when you post a photo. Helps keep vandals away too.
2) Abandoned places are very dangerous. Last year an Urbexer was killed in Eschweiler when a roof collapsed on top of him. I seldom go inside buildings. You gotta be ultra careful.
3) If you are on signed private property or if you are on any property that has signage warning of danger and you get injured then the medical aid can refuse to pay for treatment. This can get very expensive if you break your leg (or worse).
4) If you damage anything then the owner can sue for damages (even of the place is an unlivable ruin)
5) If the police get called on you then you'll get a 110€ fine. On military sites the MPs will tell you to leave, if you give them grief and argue with them expect a very high fine.

The above points apply specifically to Germany. In general people here are wary of abandoned photographers because they confuse us with vandals that only come to smash stuff up. Golden rule: take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. I have been caught several times on various properties. Some people and police are cool with it, some less so. And one time it got very threatening (I was escorted off public property by three heavies that thought they owned the area.)

I don't do typical Urbex, I focus on abandoned places that I find in the forests around here or in the countryside so they are usually old farms or military sites from the cold war.

I've gone a bit off topic. Hope it helps.

TCav wrote: You could fall through a rotten floor like a friend of mine did.

so true.  Not to mention entire building being unstable.   

Don't have any around me, so not an issue here.  

There was a building near where I live that a buddy and I went to explore a few years back.  It had been abandoned for at least 10 years.  We went in, and there ended up being 4 homeless people in there, all doing drugs.  We were lucky to get out of there as they were starting to give us problems and blocking our way out of the place.  That was the last time we went into any building like this.  

Most of the time I'm by myself, and factor in my age, I don't put myself into sketchy situations any more.  Or at least try not too.  To many things can go wrong with going into an abandoned building.  Now if you really want to do, there are some workshops who do enter abandoned places with permission.  You might want to look into these to scratch that itch. 

Dana Beasley wrote: Don't have any around me, so not an issue here.  

Yep same with me

Deteriorated vacant buildings and old mine shafts are places that I won't go, even if I have permission. I have photographed empty buildings inside and out, but not any with structural problems. 

Charley