Dear Reader
Darwin Ghost Town, California was once a bustling city, just south of Lone Pine, about three and half hours north/east of Los Angeles. In 1874 silver-lead was discovered in the nearby hills, soon over 20 mines were in operation, over 200 homes were built; and at Darwin's peek over thousand residents resided in this harsh environment. By the end of the nineteenth century, the silver deposits were depleted and as such most of the inhabitants left Darwin.
Darwin offers an array of photographic possibilities, from the decaying wood frame homes, rustic mining equipment and a spectacular views.
A few years ago a magazine hired me for an interesting shoot; they hired a famous German photographer who was known to shoot still life in the dark. There was a twist, the photographer was going to shoot models in the same shot, without the use of lights. The agenda included four ghost towns in four days. Our days started at 3 PM and ended at 3 AM, we would go back to our hotel, sleep for a few hours and then drive to our next location, this was a grueling shoot because of the hours, but we had a lot of fun.
