Every package of Detroit Ruin Porn should include Detroit Central Station.
People come from around the world to take pictures of Detroit.
The city has been dying for generations and there are lots of rubberneckers riding around one of the largest cities in the US snapping off pics of the decay. It’s like going through the cancer ward at your local hospital and taking portraits.
It’s the latest craze: Ruin Porn. Snap a photo of some of the destruction and then talk to your friends about how awful things really are there. If people visit you in Detroit, you can also give them a guided tour of some of it — just leave the windows of your car rolled up — you wouldn’t want to breathe any of the city air without a filter.
Now the key to taking good Ruin Porn is to disregard all of the life and real culture in the city. 
Refuse to notice parts of the city that are vibrant and full of life. If there’s a building falling apart, snap it’s picture — it may not be around much longer.
Also, if you’re viewing ruin porn, disregard the car’s mirror in the picture, or the fact every photo is taken from street level.
Ruins can become art. Look at Egypt or Rome, those are full of ancient buildings that are, technically, abandoned. Though those buildings have fewer crack addicted squatters.
Check out some of the photos we took Saturday and what pics make good Ruin Porn and what pics don’t. All photos are by HTG and shot by Vikki Stenstream. Stunt driving, which included running a couple of lights because your car should act like a shark in Detroit, if you stop, you could die.
HTG is actually on vacation: This story is from our best of files. This story originally ran May 20, 2010.
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- Bad Ruin Porn: Shows too much activity.
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- Always include the car’s mirror in the shot. It shows how fearless you were.
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- Bad Ruin Porn: Needs more destruction and decay.
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- Good Ruin Porn: Abandoned, no life, oh, and it’s for rent at a good rate.
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- Bad Ruin Porn: A few homeless people would help this pic. Photo shop them in later.
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- Excellent Ruin Porn: Very bleak, note the torn awning.
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- Good Ruin Porn: Note the billboard murals.
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- Good Ruin Porn: Abandoned, burned out.
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- Bad Ruin Porn: This might suggest everything is not dire in Detroit. Delete.
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- Fair Ruin Porn: Abandoned building, but cars are not rusted out and up on blocks. Photoshop or delete.
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- Good Ruin Porn: Nice and abandoned, good splash of color.
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- Excellent Ruin Porn: Shows dispair and dire conditions.
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- Sometimes a good shot can be taken away by traffic. Always stay in the right lane.
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- Good Ruin Porn: Image was missed because we thought we saw a pedestrian so we sped up.
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- Good Ruin Porn: Just a house on an abandoned block.
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- This home is probably $778, no extra charge for plywood windows
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- Good Ruin Porn: When you see this picture, you start to feel better about yourself, and that’s good stuff.
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- Funny Ruin Porn: This helps lighten the mood, plus it’s about drugs.
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- Confusing Ruin Porn: Sea Containers are Detroit’s answer to Pods.
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- Classic Ruin Porn: Detroit’s Central Station was abandoned decades ago.
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- Good Ruin Porn: No ruin porn collection complete without some pictures of The Man coming down on some white dude in Detroit. BTW, he’s a cop too.
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- Good Ruin Porn: A train station close up. Is that tear on Iron Eye’s Cody cheek?
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- Good Ruin Porn: Yeah, that’s bleak.
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- Bad Ruin Porn; This is Slow’s a great little BBQ place near the train station. Great for a beer and place to go through your pictures. Don’t tell people it’s in Detroit.
