Patient Room. Taunton State Hospital, 2008. (Jeremy Harris)

When photographer Jeremy Harris learned about the existence of an abandoned asylum in Buffalo, NY, he knew he had to document it himself.

Harris got the opportunity to travel from his home in San Francisco to visit family in Buffalo months after he read about the asylum on a website. He managed to find the building and decided to see explore the decrepit space. The asylum was eerie, the weather-beaten structure was crumbling in decay—not surprising in abandoned buildings in particularly harsh climates.

"In places where temperatures can go below freezing during the winter months, the freeze-thaw cycles can take a toll on abandoned buildings," said weather.com meteorologist Nick Wiltgen.

(MORE:Spooky Abandoned Hospitals and Asylums (PHOTOS))

After Harris’ first experience photographing the asylum in Buffalo, he wanted to find more abandoned asylums to shoot.

“From there I was hooked, and thanks to the Internet and help from friends I made via social networking, I was able to start making regular trips from California to the East Coast for exploring trips,” Harris said.

When Harris visits a location for his abandoned series, he tries to arrive early to get the glowing morning light.

“It’s mostly a matter of exploring a space throughout the day to find the most interesting compositions and quality of light,” he said. “Because of time constraints I often do not have the luxury of waiting for the light, I have to capture it as I see it.”

While Harris tries to avoid spending a long time shooting during the winter months, during the summer he tries to spend a lot of time at the locations—he’s even stayed the night.

“During the summer, I’ve been known to spend days, and night, in a place. I absolutely love thunderstorms and experiencing one from inside an abandoned asylum is so much fun.”

According to Harris, every place he’s been to “has been an adventure.” But one adventure sticks out in his mind.

When he was shooting at an asylum in West Virginia, he had a run-in with the law. A security guard confronted him in the building, but he managed to get away.

To see more of Harris’ adventures and work visit his website.