An Edmonton photographer has become a Canadian bestseller, telling Alberta's history one photograph at a time.
Joe Chowaniec has launched a second collection of Abandoned Alberta photography – inviting viewers once more on a journey through time told by the prairies' ancient architecture and empty buildings.
The first Abandoned Alberta book of photography was published in September, 2020. It's a project that came about coincidentally, Chowaniec said, on road trips for his day job as executive director of the Environmental Services Association of Alberta.
"I would be travelling around visiting people around the province, and I'd come across something and have to stop to photograph it," he said.
"There's just something about the buildings. At first when you drive by you think, 'That's just a pile of wood, why is it still standing?' But there's something mysterious about them, something haunting."
"There's still a soul and character to them and a yearning to find more about their history."
The book was a success and became a Canadian bestseller, taking Chowaniec by surprise. Then, the Royal Alberta Museum reached out to his publisher to arrange a public exhibition which ran for a year.
"The response was overwhelming from people that went through it because it was a free community exhibit, and it went really well and (I) just loved the feedback from people," he said.
As more people became aware of his work, Chowaniec said he started getting invitations to visit people's land and share their history.
"At first it started off as just taking the photos, but now it's building relationships," Chowaniec said. "I love hearing the stories and reminiscing with people."
"There's a lot of stories to be told around photos."
And there's a lot of photos.
Chowaniec said he's taken 50,000 photos on his travels around the province, and logged more than 20,000 kilometres along Alberta's highways and gravel backroads.
In mid-September, the second Abandoned Alberta book was released, featuring 136 new images of old, abandoned structures - though Chowaniec said the photos show more than just ancient architecture.
"These (places) are all people's dreams. You know, these people most likely came from somewhere else in the world to build a life, a better life," Chowaniec said. "They are someone's dreams and they should be respected and remembered."
"Because once these places are gone, the history is gone, right? And it's sad."
He doesn't know yet whether a third book is in his future, but Chowaniec said he has no plans to stop taking photos, listening to people's stories or exploring history.
Chowaniec's work can be purchased on his website. He also has a Facebook page where he posts photographs.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb
