Happy Halloween – 13 from a Pioneer Cemetery, 2022

Image 1 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 1, Washington*

Imperfect Aged Beauty

Beyond my landscape photography of the Pacific Northwest, I also greatly enjoy capturing images of worn and weathered subjects. I find tremendous beauty in the old, the imperfect, and the every day – a sentiment encapsulated by the Japanese concept of “Wabi Sabi,” which roughly translates to “imperfect aged beauty.”

Image 2 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 2, Washington*

Everything in this world is in constant transition, from or to nothingness. When exploring the world, I’m drawn to capture subjects deep into their decay process and share these imperfect yet captivating images as fine art black-and-white photographs.

Image 3 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 3, Washington*

Broken and Decaying

After photographing several locations around Willapa Bay, I wanted to explore one more area—the small community of Bay Center, Washington. Like many 19th-century towns, Bay Center has its own Pioneer Cemetery, and I am fascinated by these older, more traditional gravesites.

Image 4 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 4, Washington*

Modern cemeteries, with their flush-to-the-ground grave markers designed for easy mowing, appeal little to me. Instead, I’m drawn to the old, hand-crafted headstones that are more or less still standing, their weathered and broken forms testaments to the passage of time.

Image 5 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 5, Washington*

Impermanence is an Inescapable Fact of Existence

Often, it falls to volunteers or the remaining family members to maintain these historic gravesites. But as each generation passes, the knowledge and stories of those who have come before become increasingly lost. Grave sites are slowly forgotten, and the transition to nothingness continues.

Image 6 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 6, Washington*

We all wish to be remembered and immortalized in time by our loved ones. Yet the reality is that we are only here for a fleeting moment. Unless a written record is carefully preserved and passed down, knowledge of our presence will be limited or lost forever within a few generations.

Image 7 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 7 Washington*

Coincidentally, I’m releasing this series of 13 black and white images from the Bay Center Pioneer Cemetery to coincide with the Halloween season, when we often reflect on themes of mortality and remembrance.

Image 8 of a series of 13 black and white photographs from the Pioneer Cemetery in Bay Canter, Washington. — *Pioneer Cemetery of Bay Center No. 8, Washington*

If you’d like to see more of my photographic perspectives on the Pacific Northwest, I invite you to visit my online art store. I’m confident you’ll find images that will captivate your senses and inspire you to appreciate the beauty inherent in life’s transient nature.