Still Standing

Time has weathered the wood, faded the paint, and silenced the voices—but this building still stands. In the high desert of California's Eastern Sierra, the ghost town of Bodie preserves a moment frozen in 1880s gold rush history.

Once a booming mining town of nearly 40,000 souls, Bodie was notorious for its lawlessness, saloons, and fortune seekers. Today it stands in a state of "arrested decay," protected as a State Historic Park where nothing is restored, only stabilized. This weathered structure—one of the town's remaining hotels bears witness to boom and bust, to dreams won and lost in the unforgiving landscape at 8,400 feet.

The stark beauty of Bodie lies in its authenticity. Harsh winters, relentless sun, and decades of abandonment have stripped away pretense, leaving only the essential: wood, nails, and the stubborn refusal to fall. The muted palette of aged timber against the high desert sky creates a haunting composition that speaks to resilience and the passage of time.

Shot in the golden light that illuminates this remote corner of Mono County, this photograph captures the quiet dignity of a place that refuses to be forgotten—still standing against all odds.

I release limited edition California fine art prints in small runs of 25. "Still Standing" is available either in Collector's Print (Unframed) on Hannemühle fine art paper, or in Museum Framed Edition on Hannemühle fine art paper, under Acrylic glass and framed with mounting hardware installed. Each will be produced by WhiteWall (Germany), one of the most respected art labs in the world. A Certificate of Authenticity indicating the print number within the edition, and signed by the Artist, will be provided to each collector.