Looking for something different to capture for your next photography project? Try capturing the unsettling and atmospheric aesthetic of liminal spaces. On their own and in the normal context, empty places don’t always make interesting images. But when they’re captured in an eerie or surreal aesthetic, the shift in mood brings a gripping emotional response in a viewer.

Case in point is the video above, where film photographer Nick Carver explores a vacant radiology center in the high desert of California. While initially out to photograph the place for a client, he also squeezed in some time to shoot some liminal photos in film with a Mamiya C220 medium format TLR camera and rolls of Kodak Portra.

“For me, a good liminal space shot should trigger just the right amount of agoraphobia in the viewer,” he said. With this in mind, he chose spots and perspectives that give a sense of being alone, lost and trapped in a strange place. The dark and moody images were meant to make viewers uncomfortable, and it’s evident that he effectively achieved this goal.

As for his chosen format, he believes medium format film is perfect for a liminal spaces project. This is primarily due to 6×6 image format’s ability to further detach the space from the viewer. Indeed, in his photos, there’s very little clue about what the place actually is, what the rooms were for, or what they contained. Look at them long enough and you start to wonder what lies ahead.

So, what do you think? Is this a project you can take on? Share your thoughts in the comments below, let’s start a discussion!