Our Story

Matthew Christopher Photography was founded by Matthew Christopher, creator of the popular Abandoned America website, book series, and podcast. For the last two decades, Matthew Christopher has traveled across the world documenting endangered structures, then researching and sharing their captivating stories and haunting beauty. Matthew's Abandoned America project has been featured in numerous news outlets and publications including the New York Times, NPR, Los Angeles Times, BBC, and NBC Nightly News, as well as galleries and museums worldwide.

Throughout this process, Matthew has worked on a diverse spectrum of side projects including capturing buildings before, during, and after construction/demolition transitions. Many of them did not fit under the traditional (and sometimes problematic) mantle of "abandoned" sites and thus were not included in that body of work. Due to privacy or publicity concerns about controversy or endangering unsecured locations, some images and stories could not be shared publicly, or required coordination to manage messaging. Matthew Christopher Photography excels in sensitive work that respects not only properties and their history, but also the people who shape their future. Our goal is a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship with the visionaries who design and adapt our built environment. After all, satisfied clients lead to further opportunities for collaboration!

Matthew Christopher has developed a distinct visual and narrative style that focuses on honesty, compassion, and clarity rather than sensationalism and "clout chasing". For over a decade, he has led photography classes and on-site photo workshops that aim not only to teach camera techniques, but more importantly, to foster a love and appreciation for the amazing architecture that surrounds us and what it can tell us about who we are. At Matthew Christopher Photography, we believe every location has an interesting story to tell, and we're here to help you document and share it with the world.