Ghost Town Fans, Enter Your Evocative Images in This Contest

AN INTRIGUING ANGLE, a notable nook, a dusty corner, a swirl of mysterious shadows? When you're in Bodie on a perfectly still day — and just about every day is a perfectly still one in the remote location — it can seem like every single sight you encounter is especially exquisite, inarguably timeless, and worth a quick picture or two. And you're not wrong: The famous ghost town has a way of photographing very well, at pretty much every hour of the day (or at least when visitors are welcome to stroll its nearly silent streets), and the temptation to use up a lot of film on a fetching doorknob or cloudy window or set of wooden steps is particularly great. For the Mono County site, which is often described as one of the best-preserved ghost towns around, sits in a serene state of "arrested decay," making just about any photograph an instant document certifying that the photographer has traveled through time.

IF YOU'RE A BODIE BUFF, and you have a few fabulous pictures of the buildings, streets, cemetery, or sky above the former mining town, now is the time to enter the 2024 Bodie Calendar Contest. There are cash prizes — the photographer behind the calendar's cover will be awarded $300, while the inside photos will net $100 each — and winners will receive their own calenders to show off to friends, family, and those who adore the ghost town like they do. Because how amazing would it be to be a part of the modern Bodie tale? A booster that is helping to shine a sepia-soft light on a location that still seems to linger in a bygone century? The deadline is Feb. 19, and there are a few rules to know, like how to submit and the maximum number of snapshots you can enter. Start here, Bodie boosters, and best of luck.