High in the air on the edge of the Chrysler Building, photographer Lucinda Grange looks like a stately bird in her natural habitat. The daredevil artists seeks these treacherous climes, scaling architectural icons like the Great Pyramid of Giza, Firth of Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, and New York’s Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Her photos are enough to make you dizzy.
Hailing from Hartlepool, UK, Grange and her fellow adventurers travel to the off-limits pockets of the world. Dodging security guards and ignoring trespass sings, they not only look to the sky but also burrow below cities into abandoned subway stations, underground rivers, and winding sewage systems.
"I am realistic. I know I'm nothing special. I'm of equal worth to every other man or woman," Grange admits on her website, "but through travel and adventures I get to witness special moments, special views and special environments... if only to share with you, so you can experience the adventure from the comfort of your soft seat in your warm home as you sip hot chocolate, so you can see what I do to escape 'real' life and lose myself."
While Grange's sense of fun seems borderline insane, she's not alone in her illegal adventures. Known as urban explorers, these thrill seekers look beyond the surface of the city to explore spaces where tourists are usually forbidden. Will Ellis, founder of AbandonedNYC, photographs New York's derelict (and often off-limits) corners. Mustang Wanted blew up the Internet with his breathtaking self-portraits of him hanging off the edges of skyscrapers. Imagine the photos if these powerhouses got together.
RELATED: The Craziest Extreme Sports Photographs on Flickr
RELATED: The 50 Greatest Street Photographers Right Now
