David Manch finds much in empty rooms. The 53-year-old Palmer resident spends a good bit of his time photographing abandoned, dilapidated buildings to fill his Instagram account (@phantomphotosnap), which features shots of rubble and empty staircases, the remnants of past lives.

Q. How did you get into photography?

A. I got my first camera back in the mid ’70s in high school; it was an Instamatic. Then, my father gave me a 35mm when I went off to college as a Christmas gift, and I still have it. Now, I’m a Nikon guy, and I stick to digital. I also have an antique camera collection with close to 50 cameras. I love the fact that cameras are an extension of you. When you look through the lens, that’s the only thing at that moment. I love the fact that it can take you to different places, and it notices things that you don’t normally see.

Q. What makes a good location?

A. I always try to look for something I know is going to be unique. I’m really into history. A big part of our past is the wonderful architecture, from churches to asylums to educational buildings. Things that won’t be there forever, and things that will be lost to time. Anything that really has some kind of a beauty that was intentional in the way it was designed and built. I like going to historical places and holding photography workshops. I do a lot of research into the background and try to understand what the location was used for. New England has such a rich history. I love towns like Newburyport and Salem, those little quaint fishing villages. Not only is there great architecture, but you get a wide variety of people in the moment doing what they’re doing. It’s never going to be the same twice.

Q. What do you find interesting about old buildings?

A. These places that are abandoned have a story to tell. It’s the story of people’s lives. People that are no longer here, lived their entire lives here. Even though there’s no people in these pictures, the fact that there were people there is the essence of the pictures. So it’s not just a picture of a wheelchair sitting in the dim light. It’s about: Who used this? Who was there? What did it mean to them? There’s a beauty in peeling paint, the way the textures and images capture the eye. That kind of stuff I find very appealing. People see my photos, and they know I took them. I’m very much into symmetry and balance. I do very little editing so it’s a simple style. I’m old school.

Interview was edited and condensed. Carly Sitrin can be reached at carly.sitrin@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @carlysitrin.