Shaney Modien
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Throughout North America, hidden “ghost towns” and abandoned places await their secrets to be revealed. Renowned photographer Chris Attrell has taken on a new creative venture: a YouTube channel exploring these forgotten places. His remarkable eye for capturing the essence of these places has won him many fans.
Atrell’s journey from his base in Shonavon took him to remote places that most people have never heard of or only know about in myth.
His YouTube channel, where he shares his adventures through the lens of a camera, has become a sensation with over 11 million views. The channel already has 60,000 members.
“During the COVID-19 shutdown, I decided to start doing YouTube videos because I love teaching, and my regular photography classes were canceled,” Attrell explained. “I’m completely amazed at how quickly the channel has grown over the past year. It happened very suddenly, and it’s still growing.”
In fact, Attrell’s business has been so successful that YouTube recently appointed him an account manager to help him grow his channel.
Attrell’s next adventure is a 12-day trip through Southern California, Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. This solo trip also takes you on one of the loneliest roads in the country: the Reno to Utah highway.
It all started with the idea of traveling through Saskatchewan’s Southwest Corridor during the pandemic. These first adventures led him to discover hidden gems such as the Great Sandhills and the wide open spaces of Grasslands National Park. These prairie stop areas became the starting point for his YouTube content, which now extends across the border into Montana.
Traveling solo can be lonely, but Attrell values the freedom to plan each day as an exciting pursuit. He enjoys taking his camera to ghost towns and abandoned places to capture the solitude and eerie beauty of forgotten places.
Attrell said her brother, who is from Columbus, Ohio, may join her on future adventures, but for now she is traveling alone. When I asked him if he had ever stayed overnight alone in these eerie places, he replied that the closest he could come to photographing one night was to leave just as the sun rose, feeling the peace and quiet.
Attrell has seen many places large and small, from the huge ghost town of St. Marie, Montana, with more than 500 buildings, to the small town of Kanak, Saskatchewan, where only a few buildings remain.
It was found that living in the countryside increases viewership. Most of his perspectives come from urban environments around the world, and he is fascinated by grassland landscapes that people have never seen or want to visit.
However, capturing these stories on camera comes with its challenges. Not only does Chris travel and shoot, he also has to take the time to edit each program to perfection. He estimates that a day’s shooting requires at least a day’s editing once he gets home.
Eating while traveling can also be difficult. Unlike your average beef jerky and pretzels, Chris’ travel snacks are coffee and boiled eggs.
“There are eggs at truck stops. They fill you up without making you fat,” he laughed.
Chris revealed that while you might think the hardest part of his journey is traveling alone, editing and filming, it’s actually being away from his loved ones, especially his wife, for long periods of time. He is trying to limit travel to a maximum of 12 days.
You can follow Chris’ journey on his YouTube channel. There he shares his amazing adventures and captures the essence of forgotten places.
Shaney Modien
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Shaunavon Standard