Church, Pennsylvania. Photographers Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix captured stunning images of abandoned buildings left to the elements for decades. (Courtesy of Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix)

Photographers Daniel Barter and Daniel Marbaix captured stunning images of abandoned buildings left to the elements in America's once booming Rust Belt while taking a tour of the country. Many of the structures they documented show years—some, decades—of decay and neglect.

The crumbling structures are being reclaimed by nature. "In the winter months, the freeze-thaw cycles take a toll on architectural elements of [a] building," said weather.com meteorologistNick Wiltgen. During hotter months, humidity can also act on plaster walls, while storms can punch out holes on roofs and further expose already rotting wooden elements of a structure.

Visiting a series of now-derelict buildings, ranging from a psychiatric hospital just outside of New York City to an abandoned bowling alley, the UK-based Barter and Marbaix wanted to show that, despite America being one of the richest countries in the world, “decay” is often hidden in plain sight.

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“I strive to shed light on the hidden and unseen, elucidating these unique and forgotten places, objects and customs,” Barter explains on his website.

The pictures featured above are compiled in their book “States of Decay,” showcasing the pair’s work from locations across the Northeast. Getting access to these weathered areas was not easy.

"I find abandoned buildings to photograph by word of mouth or a little bit of research,” Barter told Caters News Agency. "To gain access to some of the locations is quite another story and can involve a lot of climbing, sneaking and hiding.”

Barter, 29, stumbled into photography during his time at school after majoring in restoration. But his interest in abandoned objects and places started when he was a child.

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"When I was five, my junior school had a derelict [airplane] in an adjoining field,” Barter explained. “Two of my friends and I climbed over the ten foot green wire mesh fence and entered the plane.”

It’s something Barter remembers to this day.

“If I close my eyes, I can still picture the switches, dials and smell the leather.”

More information on Barter’s photography is available at his website and on his Facebook page. More information on Marbaix’s photography can be found on his Facebook page.

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