The eerie atmosphere of liminal spaces, captured by DPReview readers

Nov 03, 2026 - 02:03

0 1

The eerie atmosphere of liminal spaces, captured by DPReview readers

Viewing liminal spaces often evokes strong emotions. The community captured some of their local places in our latest mini-challenge.

Black-and-white view down a long indoor ramp with ceiling lights and metal handrails.

Liminal spaces are transitional places, such as hallways, stairwells, and waiting rooms, that feel strangely quiet and uncanny. They often seem recently vacated. Stepping into one can stir a sense of uncertainty, leaving you to wonder what’s waiting around the next corner.

Picture a doorway opening onto a nearly empty hallway. It’s quiet, and the air feels still. A shadow you can’t quite identify stretches around the corner beyond a distant door. A single broken chair leans against the wall on the right. The lights cast an unnatural glow. There’s nothing else in the scene but you and your camera.

Below is a selection of community photos submitted to our Halloween-inspired, eerie fall mini-challenge. Some of the quotes were slightly altered for clarity. While the challenge has closed, you are still welcome to contribute a photo to the discussion.

Share your eerie liminal photography

Market center hallway

Empty tiled corridor with overhead lights and restroom direction signs at the far end.

Simon55: Market Gates Center, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK – corridor to a car park and washrooms. I used a Ricoh GR IIIx camera for this shot.

Steel walkway at an airport

Modern glass-and-steel pedestrian walkway with repeating rectangular frames and a long empty corridor.

ncsakany: MUC (Munich International Airport) at night can be absolutely barren too. I’d camp there if they let me.

Ramp to a library

randomed: There’s supposedly a library in here, somewhere…

After-hours office hallway

Empty office hallway with blue carpet, white walls, and glass doors.

Alastair Norcross: An empty hallway with a light-blue tint applied.

Foggy fall field

Foggy grassy field with scattered fallen leaves and faint figures in the distance.

Wyatt H: Fog over the drill field at Virginia Tech.

Window view of a window

Open arched brick window with peeling white trim and graffiti on the surrounding wall.

ROTORON: I also have the same image, shot with a Canon DSLR several years ago, before the graffiti.

Waterway underpass

Dilapidated brick industrial building with a dark arched opening and a lit passage beneath a damaged bridge.

SleepyCat: Do you believe in a life beyond this gate?

Empty service table

Folding table with four chairs in a plain beige room, with a yellow wet floor caution sign on the right.

thielges: Coincidentally shot a few days ago. Laundry room table in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA.

Gas station pump at dusk

Electric vehicle charging station with two charging cables at dusk in an empty parking lot.

Running_Man: My local gas station just before sunrise.

Share your eerie liminal photography

Thanks, community, for a variety of interesting scenes to experience. If you haven’t participated, you still can. Drop a reply in the link above to contribute your own eerie liminal photography.

About the Author: Mathew Anderson is a proud Community Manager for the technology industry and a past visitor to DPReview.com for all his camera needs. He is currently the lead of DPReview’s community and primary communication link between the community and DPReview’s team.

Follow DPReview to ensure our independent journalism reaches your feeds.