Storage Shed at the Standard Mill, Bodie State Historic Park

The Standard Mill in Bodie State Historic Park, CA, used to process the silver and gold ore from the Standard Mine. Although still mostly intact, this area is closed off to visitors of the park as being "hazardous".

See The Storage Shed in the Bodie slide show gallery

Bodie HDR Interpretation

HDR (high dynamic range) imaging is a fun thing to play around with. You are meant to start with a set of photos of the same shot taken at different exposures, but I find that I get nice effects as in the photo to the left by just taking one photo, using Photoshop RAW processor to create two new copies of the image with a -2 and a +2 exposure value, and then using them and the original image as a set of three to process as an HDR image. You have to use software such as Photoshop or other software programs available for sale to combine the images into one. The highlights of the image are formed using the highlights in the underexposed image, the shadows are formed using the shadows in the overexposed image, and then blended with the correctly exposed image. The outcome is greater detail across the entire dynamic range: shadows, through midtones, to highlights.

In this photo the distant mountains and clouds give a great effect, almost like "sumi-e" or ink drawings.

This and other photos of Bodie can be viewed in the Bodie slideshow gallery or the static html Bodie gallery.

Methodist Church Bodie Ghost Town

The old Methodist church in Bodie is the only remaining church in the ghost town. It was built in 1882. The church was restored by E.J Clinton of San Francisco who held the final service here in 1932.

Since then the interior of the church has been badly vandalized, and the Ten Commandments painted on oilcloth which used to hang behind the pulpit has been stolen. So much for the 8th Commandment!

Slide show of photos of Bodie

Old Shell Oil Gas Pumps at Bodie Ghost Town

These old Shell Oil gas pumps at Bodie stand out. It's not what you expect in a ghost town that had its heyday in the 1880s, but Bodie obviously limped along into the era of the automobile before the ghosts moved in. Because they are so "modern" they stand out and create a great juxtaposition against all the wood and brick.

Turned on by old gas pumps? Then also see this photo of an old "petrol" pump that I took on a trip to my hometown environs in New Zealand in 2007.

Bodie Ghost Town Slide Show

Bodie Ghost Town Photo Collection

Bodie State Historic Park is a ghost town located to the east of Yosemite National Park. When the Tioga Highway is open, you can drive there from Yosemite east across the Tioga Pass to Lee Vining and then by going north about 20 mintues on Highway 395.

Bodie was named after Waterman S. Bodey (the spelling of the town is a corrupted spelling of his name), who discovered gold there in 1859. The heyday of the town was in the 1880s when around 10,000 people lived there.

The ghost town was designated a California state historic park in 1962, and is maintained in a state of "arrested decay".

The day we visited was perfect for a photography shoot. The light was bright and the sky was mostly clear but with some interesting clouds that add some great interest to the photos. I have to say that I didn't expect to get quite as much out of my visit there as I did: it was a fascinating place and a photographer's dream location.

Slideshow of photos from Bodie Ghost Town

Photo gallery from Bodie Ghost Town for dial-up visitors (smaller images)