Tamron USA State Park Series: Bannack State Park

Sandra Nykerk uses the Tamron SP 10-24mm, 18-270mm, and SP 90mm Macro lenses to explore one of America's most famous ghost towns.

Article by Jenn Gidman

Images by Sandra Nykerk

In 1954, most of the town was turned over to Montana to preserve its rich history. Today the park boasts 1,600 acres, with more than 60 standing structures, most of which visitors can enter and photograph. From the legendary Hotel Meade (which operated until the 1940s), Hendricks Mill, and 19th-century Methodist Church to the gallows and old town cemetery, Bannack is one of Montana's most beloved historical treasures. As for the ghosts one would expect to find in such a ghost town? The park website playfully claims that guests have had "experiences" while visiting Bannack.

For Sandra Nykerk, the appeal of Bannack State Park* lies in its colorful history and, of course, its photographic opportunities. "I've liked ghost towns for a long time," she says. "But what I especially like about Bannack is that has been preserved, but not restored. They haven't made it into someone's version of 'Disney goes West.' The only place that has really been restored is the Ryburn House: It has lace curtains on the windows, an old piano and pump organ, and the kitchen has been furnished with age-appropriate tools and appliances. It's historically accurate and offers a feel for everyday life in the 1920s, but for the most part, Bannack leaves everything to your imagination."

The park is also family friendly. "Visiting Bannack offers children a real connection to the history of the American West," Sandra says. "They have many activities specifically geared toward kids. For instance, in the warmer months, they fill large tubs of water pumped from Grasshopper Creek, where everyone can pan for gold. There are annual events, too, like the yearly Bannack Days weekend held every July to celebrate pioneer life. There can be as many as 5,000 people in the park during that time, which is pretty amazing, since Bannack today is the equivalent of four blocks long and is in a very remote location."

Visitors can familiarize themselves with the park before their trip by checking out the park website and picking up literature the park offers. "The Bannack Association partners with the State of Montana to publish a booklet that explains each building in its historical context," Sandra says. "There are so many interesting stories about Bannack. The jail, for instance, was purposely built to be really small because no one wanted to have to leave their claim to look after any prisoners. They either ran the prisoners out of town or hung them on the gallows, which were directly visible from the jail's window."

Although Bannack is open year-round, Sandra shares her favorite time of year to shoot there. "It's fun to take pictures there in every season," she says. "In the winter, you might be the only person in town, so that can make it special. And in late spring and early summer, the weather can be wonderful. But I really love shooting there in September. I went with friends at that time of year, and we found the light to just be incredibly gorgeous and soft."

Sandra took her three favorite Tamron lenses to Bannack on her last trip: the SP 10-24mm wide angle, the 18-270mm VC, and the SP 90mm Macro. "I used the 10-24 for the interiors, while for close-ups of details I pulled out the 90mm," she says. "Then, when I was outside walking around town, the 18-270mm offered the versatility to get additional great shots."

It can be quite dark in many of Bannack's buildings, so you'll definitely need a tripod. "The park service is very amenable to taking equipment into the buildings," she says. "No one will be troubled if you set up your tripod in one of the rooms, as long as you're courteous and responsive to the needs of other visitors. A lot of my exposures for my interior shots were somewhere in the range of 1/4 second to 1 second, so having the tripod was critical."

One accessory Sandra doesn't recommend: a polarizer. "At this altitude, the polarizer just wants to make everything very dark; in fact, skies can be rendered nearly black," she says. "There's so much blue and UV in the atmosphere, as soon as you put the polarizer on, it really overpolarizes the sky. I'd rather use Photoshop and be able to control what I want to do with the skies in my photos rather than have to work to restore the color."

Sandra approaches pictures in the park much like she does her other photography. "I'm looking for the same kind of graphic design I'd look for in any image, regardless of the subject matter - it comes down to color, texture, and form," she says. "When I'm working on a true abstract, I'm not looking for something that's representational, for you to say that it's such-and-such a thing. I'm looking for you to respond emotionally to the color and design of the image I present."

The textures of Bannack's interiors are one of the main photographic draws for Sandra. "I've been in a lot of old buildings and ghost towns, but I've never seen anything that rivals the interiors of these buildings," she says. "They haven't tried to restore them to the standards we have today of what beauty is, or like something you'd see in a vintage home and gardening magazine. In many of the houses, the residents put up sheets or canvas on the walls to keep out the drafts; then they painted that canvas with a powdered pigment mixed with milk or latex. Then, all of those layers were covered in newspaper (and after that, sometimes wallpaper). In the Jackson House, you can even see the date on some of the newspapers bleeding through these layers of time. The images you can get are amazing."

Capturing the historical details preserved within the State Park grounds and inside Bannack's walls also creates memorable photos. "Inside the furnished bedroom of the Ryburn House, I found a dress hanging made out of an old sugar sack," Sandra says. "That's probably what you wore in the summer if you were a little girl who lived there way back then. It was late afternoon when I took this picture, with a window to the right of the dress and one behind me, highlighting the dress just beautifully."

You can shoot at any time of day in the park and come back with compelling images, even in midday. "In any kind of photography, it's always about the light and the shadows," Sandra says. "Students often ask me how to shoot in bright sunlight. I tell them that I'll use the shadows created during those times to my advantage. Shadows add depth and interest, so I'll use them as a juxtaposition and counterpoint to the light. They can become an important component of the graphic design element."

Be a little flexible when you're shooting in Bannack. "If you don't like the way the light is in a building at a particular time, come back two hours later and it will be completely different," Sandra says. "Photographing the interiors in Bannack is one of those few times when I just let the highlights blow out without worrying about it too much, because I love the pools of light from the windows and doors, which can be sprinkled throughout the rooms."

Sandra is especially enamored, however, with taking pictures in the late afternoon at the park. "The room I call the Pink Room, for example, becomes totally psychedelic at that time of day," she says. "The way the light hits that room, and other rooms like it, creates an inner glow that I can only describe as being 'ghostly.' It's like an Orton effect already applied when you walk into the room."

One final tip once you're ready to brave the buildings of Bannack: If you can, leave the doors open behind you. "Many of the rooms don't have windows," Sandra says. "The only light coming in is through the doors. Of course, if you go on a windy day, like I did in June, it can be hard to do that when the wind keeps slamming the doors shut." Or, maybe it's the ghosts.

To see more of Sandra Nykerk's work, go to www.sandranykerk.com. Check out the Tamron USA website for more information on Tamron's State Park Series.