A split image: on the left, a hand holds an open film camera with a blurry background; on the right, a cat sits next to an old box-style TV, looking at the camera.

Reddit user dontcountonmee was recently out taking photos of an abandoned house when he found a film camera that still had a roll of film inside. He took the film home and developed it to see what was on the roll.

“I have been interested in urban exploration since my teenage years,” dontcountonmee tells PetaPixel over email, preferring to be referred to by their Reddit username. “It serves as my way of documenting and preserving the history of places that are eventually demolished or lost to time.”

Shortly after entering the house, which appeared to have been suddenly abandoned at least a decade ago, he found the camera inside a drawer, along with other personal belongings, including jewelry and medication.

A hand holds an open 35mm film camera loaded with Kodak film; the background shows a cluttered, dimly lit room with wooden walls, a ladder, and scattered items.

Although the urban explorer has found cameras during prior adventures, this one “stood out.”

“I knew I had to know what was inside as soon as I saw it. To my surprise, it was filled with photographs of the owner’s cats. It was clear from the images that those cats were well card for and lived in a loving home.”

When looking at photos of an abandoned home, especially one like this, where it was left essentially as is, which can happen for many reasons, many of them sad, it can be difficult to imagine what life was like inside the house when it was inhabited by real people, each with their own lives. Thanks to photos like the ones inside the camera, dontcountonemee doesn’t have to imagine at all, and can peer back through time.

A man wearing glasses and a dark sweater stands in a wood-paneled room beside a decorated Christmas tree, with hanging plants and a lamp in the background. The ceiling shows noticeable water stains.

A cozy living room with potted plants in front of a window, a TV on a wooden stand, bookshelves filled with books and DVDs, a coffee table with decorations, and patterned rugs on the floor.

A man sitting in a wood-paneled room holds up a white T-shirt featuring a "Ghostbusters" graphic. The room has dim lighting, a hallway in the background, and part of a green blanket is visible in the foreground.

A man in a white t-shirt stands indoors, holding a large black cat with glowing eyes. The setting has wood-paneled walls, and the image has a filmstrip border effect.

A man sits on a beige couch in a wood-paneled room, looking down at a black and white cat on his lap. A lamp and a yellow cup are on a small table beside him. The image has a film strip border.

Two cats sleep curled up together on a plaid cushion with a gray blanket, placed on top of a cardboard box in a wood-paneled room. The image has visible film sprocket holes around the edges.

“It’s quite saddening and serves as a reminder that one day, all of our belongings could end up like those in the abandoned houses I photograph,” he says of going inside abandoned homes. “At times, I think about trying to locate the families of the former owners so I could return the photos I find. If there were a way to do so without invading anyone’s personal privacy, I certainly would.”

Dontcountonmee has been shooting on film himself for at least 10 years, he tells PetaPixel. He knows how to handle developing old, expired film like he found in this case and the post-processing techniques he can use to make them look their best. Although he says he often shoots with his digital camera, he makes sure to make time for analog.

“While it is a time-consuming and costly hobby, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

A black cat sits on a wooden table, looking up near an old box-style TV and a VCR. The room has plants, a lamp, and wood-paneled walls. The image appears as a film photograph with visible sprocket holes.

Two cats relax in a cozy room with wood-paneled walls. One black cat lounges on a striped couch arm, while a fluffy tuxedo cat rests on the couch cushion behind it. Film borders frame the image.

A fluffy gray and white cat sits on a table beside an old box-style TV, looking out a window. Various plants hang above, and sunlight filters through the glass. The scene has a nostalgic, film-photo appearance.

A black cat with glowing eyes sits on a blanket by a wooden window. Potted plants hang above, and a street with cars is visible outside. The image has a filmstrip border.

“When you’re working with expired film, you usually have to tweak the developing processing a bit to get any usable shots out of it,” dontcountonmee explains. “I managed to develop the roll to get some photos, but the colors came out pretty different from what they probably looked like originally. I used a few editing programs to clean them up and get the results I posted on Reddit.”

He usually doesn’t post his explorations online, but felt compelled to do so after seeing the photos.

A residential street with parked cars in front of a house covered in dense ivy, surrounded by trees. The photo has a film strip border and a vintage, faded appearance.

A man with glasses and long hair sits casually on a beige couch in a wood-paneled room. He is wearing a black shirt and jeans, with one leg crossed over the other. A lamp and side table are nearby. The image resembles a film negative.

Two gray cats are in a living room with wood-paneled walls—one on a striped couch, the other on a wooden TV tray. A lamp and part of a TV are visible. The image has a film strip border.

A white cat rests on a purple cushion in front of wood-paneled walls. A vintage red rotary phone hangs on the wall, and a wooden-framed mirror is also visible.

A white cat is sleeping in a beige and brown striped pet bed on a striped couch. The couch and tiled floor are visible, with some small objects in the corner of the image.

“I wasn’t expecting the reaction I got,” he continues. His two posts on r/abandoned and r/urbanexploration combined to get nearly 90,000 upvotes. “It was really cool to see that other people enjoyed [the photos] too.”

We’d be remiss not to remind people that going into abandoned homes is trespassing in some jurisdictions and comes with numerous risks, both concerning safety and, of course, potential legal consequences. Urban exploration should be approached with caution and a complete understanding of the possible dangers.


Image credits: Images captured by an unknown person or persons. Photos developed and post-processed by Reddit user dontcountonmee.