Ghosts of Ghost Town, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

At the T.E. meeting, based out of Lee Vining, we decided to venture to the "ghost town" of Bodie, a California State Park. A ghost town is a place that has been abandoned, but the town is still intact, leaving one with the feeling it must be inhabited by someone that cannot be seen, hence ghosts. Bodie had been a mining town and the ore had just run out, becming too invaluable to support the operation of the mines.

If there were ghosts in Bodie it would seem that the cemetary, frequently referred to as "Boot Hill" in the Old West, would be the place from which they arose to rattle chains and other ghostly tricks. I did not witness any such shenannigans, but perhaps their "graveyard shift" started after dark.

It was interesting to note that some graves, like the one in the foreground, were marked only by wooden fences and a plank for a headstone, while others had quite ornate headstones, and still others were family plots. Some were kept up quite well, while many had fallen into disrepair. The latest burial date I observed was 2003, so this is still an active site for internment, making this the most lucrative business still active in Bodie, except for tourism, of course.

happypoppeye, speedymanu, maximage, pboehringer, jwmunro, plimrn, jmcl, xuaxo, anney has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

AnimeshRay (9089) 2007-06-10 1:43

This is really beautiful, Larry. excellent detail and sharpness. Love the empty vista.

happypoppeye (4819) 2007-06-10 2:45

It's a really good picture. The composition is exceptional with the wooden fence and what looks like a wooden tombstone in the foreground. Nice and sharp and really detailed also. No note though?

...ahhh, there's the note.

wolf38 (30) 2007-06-10 4:32

Hello Larry. This photo is strange and fascinating. One looks into the past and thinks at that time over the life. The photo is besides very well composed and in the aesthetic sense beautifully. Best regards, Wolfgang.

bwiti (402) 2007-06-10 5:05

For a french looking it's exactly the representation of the far west of long ago... It should be really pleasant walking in this landscape and imagine history... Great shot with nice colors... Congratulations...

maximage (15537) 2007-06-10 9:42

Bonjour Larry,
Un paysage incroyable et fantastique, avec une histoire йgalement impressionnante!
L'image est trиs belle et dйgage une atmosphиre exceptionnelle.
Merci pour le partage
Amitiйs de Suisse.
max

pboehringer (770) 2007-06-10 11:37

Hi Larry, it was really special to be up there and disturb a little bit the ghosts. The place gave me the creeps, although it was quite interesting to see some small elements of history through the lines written on the gravestones. Very good framing and overview of Bodie that you got here. The weather really adds a lot for dramatism.

jwmunro (286) 2007-06-10 12:55

Hello Larry -

I see you moseyed up to the cemetery. I like this composition with an old grave site and the old town in the background. All of the technical stuff looks to be spot on the money. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

plimrn (21344) 2007-06-10 12:57

Hi Larry,
Great idea to shoot the town across Boot Hill. Thge detail is excellent and I enjoyed your note. HLJ, Pat

jmcl (14535) 2007-06-10 17:03

HI Larry,

I love the technical execution of the depth of this .. but really the thoughtful relationships of the foreground graves to the background town .. the stark terrain .. the broken bit of fence .. wonderful image.

take care,

John

darrasin (2860) 2007-06-10 22:58

Hello Larry! The view from the cemetary is fantastic. I was too pooped to walk up the hill to take it in from up there, I'm glad you made the effort. The grave in the foreground anchors the shot nicely and the sky fits the mood of the location perfectly. Well done!

-doug

xuaxo (6854) 2007-06-17 16:10

Hi Larry
I appreciate this general view of the ghost town, with the very sharp detail of the grave in foreground.
Cheers,
F