Paranormal Artist Profile: Corey Schjoth

There's a reason we picked Corey to be featured in October, and you're looking at it.

October's featured artist Corey Schjoth started photographing haunted places back in 1995, but it wasn't until 2007 that he developed his signature style.

"I actually began working with paranormal subject matter back in 1995 at my first full-time photojournalist job in Illinois," he told us. "Once a year the paper allowed me to run a full-page photo essay on haunted places in the area."

"Unfortunately it wasn’t that great. I had a difficult time finding stories that fit what I wanted, and I didn’t use Infrared during that time because that was the time before digital and Infrared film was so expensive and difficult to work with."

We've never seen a photograph that makes us want to simultaneously visit and avoid a house as much as this one.

"It wasn't until around 2007 when I was trying to find a way that combined my love of photography and horror," continued Corey. "I came across a book by an English photographer named Simon Marsden. The book was about haunted places in France and featured his wonderful photography. The book blew my mind, and I knew at that moment that's what I wanted to do."

"In 2009 after much time learning about how digital Infrared works and planning where to go I started my project. I began in my home state of Illinois and the very first place I photographed was the McPike Mansion. Since then It's been an amazing life changing journey that I never expected would happen."  

While Corey enjoys many paranormal mysteries, his first love will always be ghosts.

"A great ghost story always fascinates me and is the main subject for my camera," he explained. "Each story has a certain amount of creepiness to it."

Look for Corey this winter in an upcoming UK documentary on the life of famed photographer Simon Marsden, and he's also currently working on a book of haunted places in the Midwest that we can't wait to see.

To learn more about Corey's work and haunting visual style, visit his website.here.