Grand banqueting halls, opulent lobbies and vast ballrooms; you could easily be forgiven for thinking this was a collection of photographs was documenting some of Europe’s grandest hotels. However, a closer look will reveal the majestic rooms to be engulfed in swathes of dust and moss; hotels that once hosted royals and high society abandoned to the elements. This is the latest result of urban exploration photography, going beyond “no entry” signs to capture images of dilapidated buildings across Europe. IT worker Thomas Windisch, from Graz in Austria, indulged his passion for photography by traveling across the continent, visiting over 100 abandoned hotels along the way. Here: inside a hotel in Austria. (Photo by Thomas Windisch/Caters News)

Plants grow on houses in the abandoned fishing village of Houtouwan on the island of Shengshan July 26, 2015. Just a handful of people still live in a village on Shengshan Island east of Shanghai that was once home to more than 2,000 fishermen. Every day hundreds of tourists visit Houtouwan, making their way on narrow footpaths past tumbledown houses overtaken by vegetation. The remote village, on one of more than 400 islands in the Shengsi archipelago, was abandoned in the early 1990s as first wealthy residents then others moved away, aiming to leave problems with education and food delivery behind them. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

This picture taken on May 31, 2018 shows a villager walking between abandoned houses covered with overgrown vegetation in Houtouwan on Shengshan island, China' s eastern Zhejiang province. Houtouwan was a thriving fishing community of sturdy brick homes that climb up the steeply hilled island of Shenghshan, but is now abandoned, with entire houses completely overgrown as if vacuum- sealed in a lush layer of green. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo)

Urban photographer Roman Robroek spent five years scouring the continent for the grandest examples of forgotten architectural beauty. Here: Watch your step on this Polish spiral staircase. (Photo by Roman Robroek/South West News Service)

Miss Ohio Mackenzie Bart displays her shoe during the Miss America Shoe Parade at the Atlantic City boardwalk, Saturday, September 13, 2014, in Atlantic City, N.J. (Photo by Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

In his new powerful photo series "Judging America," photographer Joel Pares seamlessly fades photos of an unfounded ethnic stereotype with people's real professions. Starting with a simple photo that's based on the stereotypes associated with a person's appearance, Pares fades to their real profession to make us realize how deceiving looks can truly be.

Classic antique cars are seen at an auto dealer in West Branch, Iowa, March 6, 2015. Iowa, the American heartland. Endless farm fields and quiet towns. 56,273 square miles that are soon to become the focus of the nation as the long process of electing the next U.S. president begins. (Photo by Jim Young/Reuters)