Tbilisi is a city of contrasts established along the Kura Riverbank in Georgia. It is located in a steep valley.

With balconies on old buildings, unusual Soviet structures, and ultra-modern skyscrapers and bridges, the architecture here takes you on a journey through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The past isn’t overly polished either, unlike many other cities that remodel to the point where structures lose their originality. While this has happened to some extent, particularly in the section of the Old Town near the Narikala Fortress’s slopes, many abandoned houses in this magnificent place have escaped restoration initiatives.

There are acres of worn-out, elegant ancient structures with broken walls and decades of fading and peeling paint. Small and big abandoned buildings with sagging balconies and old wooden doors leading to courtyards with centuries-old family biographies. That’s right up my alley!

Here are a few of my architecture photography images from the last eighteen months of areas that are now part of my one-day walking tours, which run until November of this year.

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#1  In the Heart of Tbilisi, The Former Hotel London, A Stunning Staircase

James Kerwin/bored panda

People should also respect that most of the places shown are genuine homes or entrances to occupied dwellings. Tbilisi is a fast-changing city, and many of these landmarks are already endangered or have been renovated or demolished. The aesthetic of the old town and adjacent locations east of the river, on the other hand, still draws you in. I’m hoping it preserves some of its charms as it progresses.

#2  Former Tbilisi Cable Car Station – Soviet Twirls and Swirls (Now Full Of Graffiti)

James Kerwin/bored panda

#3 Tbilisi’s Circling Around – A Stunning Stairwell

James Kerwin/bored panda

It’s all about style and colouring when it comes to photography. So many photographs now travel and visit places worldwide, including these. You can’t stand out or claim a single spot as your own and claim that this is art. In truth, the most important thing is to build abilities to advance as a photographer, followed by an editing style that typically emerges through time. As you progress, breaking the rules can lead to something unique.

Robert Paladori, a Canadian-American photographer noted for his big-scale colour photos of urban surroundings and interiors – he returns locations often after disasters, for example, but shoots on large format film – is one of my favourite architecture photographers. Outside of architecture, it’s Elia Locardi, a pioneer in style creation and a colourful and inspirational trip photographer.

#4  A Cinema From The Early 1900s That Has Been Abandoned

James Kerwin/bored panda

#5  S Curve – The Same Staircase, But From a Different Perspective

James Kerwin/bored panda

I’ve been working on new spots to go and shoot for the past few years. I always make a backup on the move, catalogue in Adobe Lightroom, and edit in Photoshop, except adding colours or textures externally with plugins if necessary. I periodically photograph my thumb – haha, this is to remind myself that I have focus-stacked while looking through my Lightroom catalog at a later date. I use Google Maps to locate locations.

#6  “Unknown,” a townhouse at 9 Geronti Kikodze St., is the most popular hangout.

James Kerwin/bored panda

#7  The Mezzanine is a stunning entertainment hall that has been abandoned.

James Kerwin/bored panda

In terms of my work’s future, I have no idea what will happen to this dwindling business as time passes. However, I would like to exhibit-more in the following years, namely in Sweden, the United States, and possibly Italy. Fabrica (which I am pleased about) and Abandoned Lebanon, which I just released at the end of last year, were my goals for 2021. I’m also hoping to get out and photograph the various locations I’ve been researching for the past two years – that would be fantastic!

#8 Another Entrance In Tbilisi’s Old Town – Broken Baby

James Kerwin/bored panda

#9 The Heavily Decayed Entrance is all over the place.

James Kerwin/bored panda

#10 The Repair – A Residential Block’s Landing Is Now Getting Some Much-Needed

James Kerwin/bored panda

#11  Red Lines – As I Photographed This Beautiful Entrance Hall Near Sunset

James Kerwin/bored panda

#12 No Entry – Surb Nshan’s Derelict Armenian Church’s Entrance

James Kerwin/bored panda

#13 Hidden Masquerade Ball This Hall Is Used But Very Decayed In Central Tbilisi

James Kerwin/bored panda

#14 A House in Disarray – A House with Subsidence Problems

James Kerwin/bored panda

#15 Inside Tbilisi’s Entertainment Hall, a Self-Portrait

James Kerwin/bored panda

#16 Golden – Looking Up At A Former Cinema’s Ceiling That Was Attempting To Be Repaired

James Kerwin/bored panda