This series explores abandoned homesteads in rural Northern California. In the forests of Lake County I encountered remnants of earlier homebuilders – abandoned houses, sheds and water tanks, cars, boats and trailers dating back several decades – mostly withered and in the process of being reclaimed by nature.
Others are tree-houses, incorporated into trees in an elf-like fashion. All of these remnants tell a collective story – of a rough life, of loneliness, of failure, and of a bygone childhood. To emphasize this dark/sad mood of untold stories, I chose to photograph these items at night, venturing alone and on foot – surrounded by deep darkness, eerie sounds of wilderness, pairs of piercing animal eyes … a constant need for alertness, a possibility of threat – my heart was beating fast – while I was pointing my flashlight at my target item and counting out my exposure times aloud.
