Exploring Ghost Town Interiors, Bodie May 24

Morning after the storm in Bodie

We had a great schedule planned for our photography workshop in the historic mining town of Bodie on Sunday, May 24.  It had been raining the day and night before, so would the weather cooperate?  The weather forecast predicted a 30% chance of rain for the day, and it was mostly cloudy when we arrived at 5:15 am, but there were signs that the cloud cover may break up.


When we arrived on Main Street we were pleasantly surprised to find puddles of water in the street.  The sun didn't break through the clouds enough at sunrise to paint the clouds shades of orange, but there were plenty of unique shots to be found thanks to the prior night's storm.  Gradually we started to see patches of blue sky peeking through the clouds

We visited the popular buildings like the Lottie Johl House, which has lots of furniture inside.  It's amazing that so much has survived from the town's past: couches, tables, chairs, beds, a gun rack, a cast iron stove, even silverware.  There are appliances such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners and radios, and personal items too, like clothing and toys.  

Our monitors from the Bodie Foundation, Norm and Dave, offered to show us around the Standard Mill, where the gold ore was chushed, and naturally we accepted.  Gold ore entered on rails at the top of the mill.  Electric motors turned wheels and belts to drive camshafts which raised and dripped heavy stamps to crush the ore.  From the now-powdered rock, gold would get trapped in mats on tilted tables, much like a sluice box.  The Standard Mill was originally steam powered, and we saw the old boilers underneath the rest of the building.

During the course of the morning I lost track of how many buildings we explored, but it was close to 20.  I captured dozens of photos, more than I can comfortably fit in blog posts, so I'm trying out a new app DripThat, which lets me publish photos over time.  The DripThat app is available on the Apple App Store, and you can connect with me there as well to see more from this trip to Bodie: http://dripthat.com/profile/jeffsullivan

See more of my photos on DripThat: https://dripthat.com/pr?id=jeffsullivan

This information is on behalf of dripthat.

A Photo Workshop Day and Night in Bodie

Pre-dawn light at the bullwheel

First light on Main Street

The California Gold Rush was started by the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848.  In 1959 W. S. Bodey discovered gold east of the Sierra Nevada, and the rest is history.  Fortunately we can explore that history due to local families preserving the town until it became Bodie State Historic Park in 1962.  This authentic Wild West ghost town town is preserved in a state of "arrested decay", and the interiors of the buildings have been left largely untouched for over 50 years.

So what's a photography workshop in Bodie like?  Let's go through the approximate schedule for this coming Sunday.  This will be our first one where doing interiors in the morning and night access that same night, so we'll give everyone a card-clearing, battery charging siesta from roughly 1-4 pm.

The temperature is forecast to be 35 when we arrive, with:
"A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%."

4:45 am - Turn up Bodie Road where it meets Hwy 395.  Don't be late (watch for deer).

5:15 am sharp - Meet at gate, south end of town. Sunset sky color may be underway!

5:39 am - theoretical sunrise time in Bodie (zero degree horizon).

We'll start to enter buildings as soon as it's light enough: Boone General Store, Wheaton & Hollis Hotel, Sam Leon Bar & barber shop, Lottie Johl House, morgue, shoolhouse, Dechambau Hotel, IOOF Hall, and various residences as time permits.  Our record so far is 14 buildings.  Sample interior photos.

6:00 am - sunlight gradually reaches the buildings as the sun bathes them with golden hour light.  Divide your time in and out of buildings.

6:40 am - end of the best golden hour light.

9:00 am - the public enters the park.

11:52 am - moonrise, 41% full (we won't see it for another 20 minutes).

12:00 noon - end of interior access.

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Virginia Creek Settlement

12:12 pm - 41% crescent moon becomes visible over Bodie Bluff from town (approximate time).  Look for it to the left / north of the Standard Mill from the headframe by the parking lot.

1 - 4 pm - take a break, take a nap, get off your feet to rest for the night session!

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4:30 - 5:30 pm - optional dinner  at Virginia Creek Settlement restaurant, just north of Bodie Road, to discuss your experience, goals, gear, techniques.

Bring a waterproof layer with you back to Bodie, just in case:
"A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. North wind 5 to 10 mph."
With 10 MPH winds, 38 would feel like 28, so bring a warm hat and gloves!

5:30 pm - turn up Bodie Road where it meets Hwy 395.

6:00 pm - meet at front gate, then we'll park, move gear to a meeting room, have a quick safety talk, then go shoot.  Sample Bodie night photos.

7:00 pm - the golden hour light will only get better until it leaves town around 7:45.

7:45 pm - approximate last direct sunlight in town.

8:07 pm - sunset time in Bodie (zero degree horizon).

8:27 pm - best sunset sky color in Bodie, give or take a few minutes

Enjoy blue hour light until 9:10 or so.  If some of the clouds stick around from the afternoon, blue hour may be spectacular.

Late blue hour with moonlight

9:10 pm - blue hour ends, switch to night lens / clothing, get lights, snacks, hydrate.

9:58 pm - end of astronomical twilight, sky fully dark

Shoot star trails, light painting, night panoramas, Camelopardalid meteor shower (weak).

Comet Lovejoy will be near the North Star Polaris on this night, so we might not need star-tracking mounts to catch a shot of it with a long lens!  The sky hasn't been clear this week for me to see how bright (or dim) it is, but we'll know where to find it quickly.

Iridium flare

10:25:31 pm  Iridium flare - 272 degrees (west) , 11 degrees elevation, we'll see a flash as the Iridium satellite #70 passes.

12:54 am - moonlight leaves town (approximate) as moon dips below hills.

1:00 am exit park (watch for deer on the drive out).

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1:14 am theoretical moon set time in Bodie (zero degree horizon).  (The Milky Way will become more visible, but if you want a parting shot, you'll have to catch it from outside of the park land.)

It's going to be a long day, but we should have a lot of great photographic opportunities!

Light Painting in Bodie in the moonlight.

More information on our Bodie workshops... dates and prices: http://www.jeffsullivanphotography.com/blog/bodie-night-photography-workshops/