Last week I took a trip to Stevenson in Washington to view a potential shooting location for my project. Although my series focuses on Oregon, Stevenson is on the edge of the neighboring state, just minutes from the Oregon border. I was made aware of this location by a local film maker who is shooting here, and I was interested in photographing two abandoned properties that lay on the outskirts of the small town.  

Abandoned House, Stevenson WA

Satellites, Stevenson WA

Broken Window, Stevenson WA

I do not have plans to return to this location, but I gained some interesting images on this trip. As we explored one of the buildings, I also discovered a family album. As I intend to integrate found objects such as vernacular photos into my project, I am interested in photographing this and presenting it alongside images of my images of the abandoned house. Of course, I can’t be sure that those pictured in this album once lived here, but it is extremely tempting to believe so. I cannot help but begin to form a narrative about the family pictured living within this house, and wonder how it could have come to be the way that it is now. By presenting the photos of the house alongside this album, I invite my viewer to contemplate the same idea. 

Family Album Found at Abandoned House, Stevenson WA