ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER PAGE 2

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER - PAGE 2

Eric began photographing what was remaining at ghost towns in 2005 with a used Ghost Towns of Oregon guidebook by Lambert Florin. The first ghost town Eric visited was Lonerock, Oregon, the only ghost town that he photographed in black and white (when he had access to the PNCA darkroom). Eric started his color photography in 2005 after moving to Central Oregon.

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In addition to ghost towns, other subjects Eric began photographing included abandoned homesteads and ranches, antique machinery, old buildings in living towns, historic cemeteries, railroads, signs, vehicles and the Western landscape.

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Caption - Advance Rumley Thresher

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Lambert Florin published his book in 1969, so many buildings had disappeared by the early 2000s, and Eric realized he was at the end of the era for many ghost towns. Despite losing many buildings and entire sites from the mid-century heyday of ghost towns, there was still much to see.

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Caption - Sumpter Dredge Buckets

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These vanishing places fueled Eric's drive to document the remains of the American West as artistically as he could (with the limited camera gear he began with) and despite potential constraints of a location (such as modernity, junk or other non-historic distractions). Natural lighting, weather conditions, wildfire smoke, and other issues also affect on-location shooting, with one chance (at the moment) to photograph a site.

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Caption - Hood River Mt. Hood Painting

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