Forgotten Places in the California Desert (12 photos)

Photographer Ed Freeman easily finds places others have forgotten. He simply looks at a map of the California desert, finds a small spot off the beaten path, and drives there. Freeman has been traveling for decades, primarily as a musician, producer, and even as a tour manager for The Beatles, but for the past seven years, he's taken time out of his busy road trip schedule to photograph the streets and hidden corners of the mythologized Western states.







Bakersfield, California.

Desert Realty isn't a book about what actually exists in the desert. In fact, Freeman goes so far as to call it a lie. His photographs show real places, but they're computer-generated. The bustle of everyday life is erased, and once-blue skies are painted over with chimerical clouds that never existed. Skies from completely different places are added, and when the real sky doesn't fit, Freeman uses computer-generated gradients. He erases some colors and adds others, unreal ones. The mountains in each photograph are the same, only slightly altered.

Desert Shores, California.

Desert Realty may be a lie, but it's a lie about the truth. Freeman compares his deception to the deception of parents who tell their children that Santa Claus exists. In this case, the children represent generations of Americans who dreamed of a better future.



Mojave, California.

Many of the motels, barns, trailers, houses, and shops in Freeman's photographs are in poor condition. Some have already been torn down. The land is poisoned, and many people have left, optimistically believing in the hand of fate. Few people visit these places, as most find them boring. But Freeman finds them very interesting.



Desert Shores, California.

The photographer's passion for these roadside treasures makes them shine. Thousands of people drive past these houses without a glance, but Freeman stops the car, sets up his tripod, and stays for a while. Once he's done, he takes his treasures home, processes them through his mind and heart, and transforms them into something new.



Coachella, California.



Nyland, California.



Kneeland, California.



Desert Shores, California.



Salton City, California.



Trona, California.



Trona, California.