Wheaton and Hollis Hotel
The Wheaton & Hollis Hotel stands on the corner of Main Street and Green Street in the Ghost Town Bodie. Before it was used as a hotel, the U.S. Land Office and a store were located here.
I photographed it early in the morning. I spent a total of three nights in Ghost Town. In the evening and before sunrise, I concentrated mainly on exterior photos, while at night I photographed the interiors of the buildings.
I wanted to photograph the hotel facing east during the blue hour just before sunrise to get the special color gradient of the sky. Such shots are technically demanding. As the eyes have become accustomed to the darkness, it is easy to close the shutter of the camera either too late or too early – then the sky is either too dark or too light.
I took the photograph on 4×5” slide film and hoped that I would close the shutter of the large-format camera at the right moment after illuminating the buildings.
It has become one of the best photographs in the series.


























