Abandoned Wagon, Bodie State Historic Park, Bridgeport, CA

“And now my comrades all are gone;
Naught remains to toast
They have left me here in my misery,
Like some poor wandering ghost.” –Unknown

There are touristy ghost towns like Tombstone, Arizona and uncommercial, authentic ghost towns such as Bodie, California. Although five percent of the original town remains, the town is eye candy for amateur and professional photographers alike.

Located in the Eastern Sierras of California, Bodie once boasted a population of 10,000 people thus making one of the largest towns in California during its time. With a combination of gamblers, miners, prospectors and corrupt politicians it was rumored a murder took place once a day in the town. To keep Bodie unique and authentic, the state park service has maintained a policy called arrested decay; the original buildings will remain as they are with little or no maintenance from the park rangers.

A walk through the town is literally a walk into the past...only this time as visitors you have a good chance of coming out alive.

I got this shot by lowering my tripod until my camera was literally inches off the ground. Lying on my belly I set the proper hyperfocal distance setting to gain the greatest depth of field (basically everything from front to back is in focus and sharp).

After I got done taking this shot a couple of photographers "were in line" to get a similar composition. I laughed and moved on to my next shot.

Notes: Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM

Happy Travels!

All Rights Reserved. Photos and Text ©Sam Antonio Photography 2006

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