Photographing Lost Places
As a photographer, I have spent countless hours traveling to the most desolate and forgotten places in America. From the original Route 66 to Death Valley, and the Saltan Sea, I have tried to capture the beauty of these abandoned places before it's lost forever. This journey has taken me over 50,000 miles over the last three decades. Since I first picked up a camera, I have been fascinated with the random and often distant locations that need to be documented before they are lost forever.
Death Valley - Sailing Stones of Racetrack Playa
It took me over twenty years to finally make it to see the Sailing Stones. Located in the most remote part of Death Valley at the end of a 28-mile road that will destroy most vehicles. The Sailing Stones are large boulders that have fallen off the mountains surrounding the playa that come to rest on the ancient dry lake bed. When the conditions are perfect, the rain freezes a thin layer of ice that allows the wind to push the boulders creating mysterious trails. How the stones moved remained a mystery until 2014 when a study revealed how the strange paths were created.
The Salton Sea
Created by mistake, the Salton Sea was the result of an irrigation ditch overflowing that flooded the area for two years. Originally thought to be a new parasite, in the 50's it was considered a tourist hotspot. Without a continuous source to replenish the sea, it has been shrinking for the last century. The result is a toxic body of weather with beaches made of millions of fish than sand with decaying neighborhoods that resemble something out of Breaking Bad.
Route 66
My first pilgrimage occurred when I drove my little brother back east for his freshman year in college. That started a love with Route 66 that has spanned three decades. Now when I take this drive, some of the roadside attractions that we had visited on that pilgrimage to higher education so long ago are abandoned in various states of decay. Route 66 is a path I will continue to drive repeatedly to make photographs of the ongoing changes.
ThunderMountain
The first time I saw Thunder Mountain was random. I was driving to San Francisco for a Photoshoot when this structure suddenly appeared off the highway. The location is the middle of nowhere in northern Nevada, with intricate concrete sculptures surrounded the main structure. When visiting the first time, I was on a solo road trip. Not knowing the history made the obscurity feel like a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
