Abandoned Kilns

As a landscape photographer, I don’t find myself drawn to structures very often, however on a trip to the old ghost town of Bayhorse, Idaho, we passed these old abandoned kilns and I had to stop. I have since thought about why I needed to stop. What is it about ghost towns that we are drawn to?

Bayhorse was a booming mining town in the 1880’s and 1890’s. these kilns, along with 3 others are where charcoal was made to fuel the smelters. I can imagine these in full operation. It was a very busy place. And now, nothing. Empty. Only a figment of our imaginations.

It is amazing to me how a place can be so full of life one day, and totally deserted the next. The emptiness is what I felt as I pondered what I was photographing. That is what I wanted to portray. I think it shows. I know I feel it again when I view the image. The soft light coming from an overcast sky helps create the feeling, as well as the darker, moodier interpretation of the final print. The rocks in the foreground also enhance the feeling of abandonment and decay. I hope you can feel it as I do.