The ghost town of Bodie is a State Historic Park and one of the best preserved ghost towns in the US. At its peak, Bodie had over 60 saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, three breweries, and a red light district. Of the 2000 buildings that stood at the height of the mining boom only about 10% remain. The State Parks along with the Bodie Foundation keep the buildings in a state of arrested decay. A portion of the workshop fee goes to the Bodie Foundaton to help with the expense of upkeep.
The June 29th to July 3rd 2024 Bodie Photography Workshop was a huge success. Starting with a warmup at the Mono Lake Tufa Preserve and culminating with two glorious star-filled nights in Bodie.
After the initial meet and greet in Lee vining on Saturday, the Workshop began with a visit to the South Tufa Preserve at Mono Lake for the sunset. After sunset we headed to Navy Beach to photograph the dry tufa formations with the Milky Way. The night was clear and the experience allowed the group to learn to work together efficiently and also work out any equipment issues in preparation for the night sessions in Bodie. Time in Bodie is precious and being prepared is key to creating a rewarding photographic experience.
Sunday morning the workshop returned to Mono Lake for the sunrise. After breakfast and a presentation about ‘Processing Milky Way and Star Trail Images’ the afternoon was spent with one-on-one sessions to help the students with either equipment or post processing issues.
Sunday evening we enjoyed another sunset at Mono Lake and then turned in early to get a good nights sleep before meeting at 6 AM to begin the morning session in Bodie.
Monday morning at 6 AM, we met at the entrance station to Bodie where we were greeted by the monitors who would be guiding us for our morning session. Sunrise in Bodie is an amazing experience. Having access to the park during the golden hour and before the regular opening time allowed us the opportunity to photograph the town in the resplendent morning light. During the morning session we were given access to photograph the interiors of several buildings. Highlights of the morning were the School House, the Boone Store and the Sam Leon Bar. We also were allowed to photograph the interior of the Stamp Mill where ore from the mines was processed.
The morning session ended at Noon and we headed for lunch at the Virginia Creek Settlement Café. After lunch time was set aside to rest and prepare photo gear for the evening and night session in Bodie. We met again at 6 PM the entrance station for the first of our two night photography sessions.
Upon entering the park we had about 2 hours before sunset and everyone took advantage of the splendid late afternoon sunlight to capture more incredible images of the town.
After Sunset we gathered at our base of operation in the Red Barn to prepare our cameras for the night of photography ahead. Once everyone was ready, the first mission was to set up remote cameras to capture star trails at the site of the Red Cloud mine. Once the star trail cameras were in place and the intervalometers set to start around the beginning of the astral twilight, we directed our attention to our quest to capture the Milky Way.
While waiting for darkness we set up low level LED light panels to illuminate the interior and exterior of the Old Firehouse. We also placed lights at our second site, the abandoned Ford truck that sits in the center of town. When the darkness fell, the Milky Way appeared and we began to make our photographs. Once everyone had an opportunity to capture an image they were happy with, we moved to the abandoned truck. We also took the opportunity to photograph the old gas pumps and the Boone Store. The Boone store interior is lit by Edison Light bulbs that have been burning for over 90 years.
With our Milky Way goals accomplished for the night we gathered up our star trail cameras and headed back to Lee Vining.
Tuesday morning everyone slept in. We met late morning to learn more about astro photography processing techniques. The afternoon was spent in preparation for night 2 in Bodie.
Night 2
For the second night in Bodie we again set up star trail cameras. This time, the Old Methodist Church was the subject. For the Milky Way shots we chose to start with the Stamp Mill. This time we used a flashlight with a warming gel to “paint” the building with light. Next we returned to the Red Cloud Mine to capture the Milky Way above the Old Mine Head structure. A few photographers wanted a second chance to photograph the Boone Store with the Edison lightbulbs so we made a stop there. Returning to the star trail cameras we stopped the timed exposures and set up lights to illuminate the interior and exterior of the church to create our foreground shot. While photographing the church we observed the tail end of the milky Way arching above the roof. From a position farther up the street. Changing our camera position and moving our lights allowed us to capture the bright tail of the Milky Way over the church.
If you have never been to Bodie or would like the opportunity to get unique and impressive images of the park I recommend signing up for a Photography Workshop. I will be putting in my request for 2025 dates in November and should have the dates for the next workshop by December. If you are interested in attending the 2025 workshop I recommend signing up for my newsletter or contact me in January of 2025. The State Parks along with the Bodie Foundation keep the buildings in a state of arrested decay. A portion of the workshop fee goes to the Bodie Foundaton to help with the expense of upkeep.
Body 2024 Photography Workshop Image Gallery
