A dark twist on classic fairy tales in abandoned locations

These images of creepy abandoned building are truly the stuff of nightmares. Photographer Karen Jerzyk travels all across America to shoot the images, mainly in old asylums and farmhouses, and aims to capture short stories in one picture. (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

After the death of her father, Karen found photography was a form of therapy, and said: “After his passing, I had a really hard time coping with life. I was scared and depressed, and the only thing I could control and felt good about was my photography.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

“I started pouring my thoughts and feelings into my work. My images started taking on a life of their own, all seemingly short stories in one image.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

However, not everyone is keen for Karen to take these amazing pictures in derelict locations. (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

Karen has been in trouble with the police on multiple occasions for trespassing on private property, and back in 2014 a warrant was put out for her arrest. (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

Karen had previously used a particular abandoned house for photo shoots but had no idea the land was private property. (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

An officer who came across her images recognized the house and put out a warrant for her arrest. Karen later turned herself in.(Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

Karen said: “When I work in abandoned locations, the prep time is dependent upon the condition of the space. … Because I’m so meticulously careful with setting up my scenes, my actual shoot time is typically 5-30 minutes per scene.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

“It’s so fast that sometimes models ask me if they ‘did something wrong.’ I almost always storyboard my shots and know exactly what I want (and I hate to keep people waiting, I like to plan everything out so no one’s time is wasted).” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

“For me, having every little square inch of the scene planned out is key for everything to run smoothly. Having a backup plan also helps.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

Karen began crafting these photos in 2009 after becoming bored with music photography. (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

“A friend of mine talked me into shooting portraits. I was pretty poor and didn’t have money to rent time at a studio, so I tried getting creative with my locations.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

“When I thought of a place being abandoned, I thought of it being trashed and all graphitized up. I had no clue they could look so beautifully surreal.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)

“My dream is to shoot actors/celebrities — for me, the greatest subjects are those who evoke emotion through cinema.” (Photo: Karen Jerzyk/Caters News)