Where The West Ends

© Marco Waldis - The temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula hold some of the planet’s highest biodiversity and carbon storage. © Marco Waldis - Savage. © Marco Waldis - Image from the Where The West Ends photography project View all images ↓
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  • Dates
    2024 - Ongoing
  • Author
  • Location Forks, United States
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“Where the West Ends” investigates the symbolic and material edges of America through Forks, Washington, once the self-proclaimed “Logging Capital of the World,” now reshaped by conservation, automation, and globalization.

“Where the West Ends” is a long-term documentary project that investigates the symbolic and material edges of America through the town of Forks, in the western most part of America. Once the self-proclaimed "Logging Capital of the World," Forks has faced a crumbling timber industry due to environmental conservation efforts, enhanced automation, and globalization.

This series examines the struggles and triumphs of a small town that grapples with an ever changing reality. It captures the juxtaposition of decay and renewal, of tradition and innovation. Portraits of residents reveal the weathered faces of those who've witnessed their world transform, yet remain determined to forge their way forward.

The town’s resilience is rooted in its history as a frontiers town, where its identity was shaped at the edge of Westward expansion. While the physical frontier has vanished, the frontier continues to survive as a mental, cultural, and political fortitude. This project addresses how the frontier spirit is central to the American cultural fabric: ingenuity as a form of survival, the inextricable relationship with nature, the extraction of resources, rugged individualism, and the enduring legacy of Manifest Destiny.

This project is a candidate for PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant

Learn more Present your project
© Marco Waldis - The temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula hold some of the planet’s highest biodiversity and carbon storage.
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The temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula hold some of the planet’s highest biodiversity and carbon storage.

© Marco Waldis - Savage.
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Savage.

© Marco Waldis - Image from the Where The West Ends photography project
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In 2008, when Forks became the setting of the teen vampire series Twilight, it unexpectedly boosted the local economy, attracting thousands of tourists every year.

© Marco Waldis - Image from the Where The West Ends photography project
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Logging is considered the most dangerous job in America. The Loggers Memorial is a tribute to fallen loggers and those who have dedicated their lives to the industry.

© Marco Waldis - A woman is mowing the lawn in front of a log cabin that she and her husband built to rent out as a bnb.
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A woman is mowing the lawn in front of a log cabin that she and her husband built to rent out as a bnb.

© Marco Waldis - A massive cross-section of an old-growth tree showcasing the scale of the ancient forests that once dominated the area.
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A massive cross-section of an old-growth tree showcasing the scale of the ancient forests that once dominated the area.

© Marco Waldis - Arm, the local gunsmith, poses inside of his tropical greenhouse.
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Arm, the local gunsmith, poses inside of his tropical greenhouse.

© Marco Waldis - The cover of a magazine found at the super market.
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The cover of a magazine found at the super market.

© Marco Waldis - Volunteer firefighters posing for a group shot.
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Volunteer firefighters posing for a group shot.

© Marco Waldis - José Bos in the custom car he built over the past year, ready to ram at the demolition derby.
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José Bos in the custom car he built over the past year, ready to ram at the demolition derby.

© Marco Waldis - Maxtyn Ward participates at the watermelon-eating competition at the annual Fourth of July festivities.
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Maxtyn Ward participates at the watermelon-eating competition at the annual Fourth of July festivities.

© Marco Waldis - An abandoned porch on the outskirts of Forks.
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An abandoned porch on the outskirts of Forks.

© Marco Waldis - Joyce Bos cheering from the stands for her sons at the demolition derby during the annual county fair.
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Joyce Bos cheering from the stands for her sons at the demolition derby during the annual county fair.

© Marco Waldis - A misty sunrise.
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A misty sunrise.

© Marco Waldis - Image from the Where The West Ends photography project
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“The stewards of the forest.” Larry Baysinger and his wife Sherry maintain remote trails on horseback, packing in the tools needed to keep the backcountry passable.

© Marco Waldis - Jacob Smith of the Quileute tribe, wearing traditional warrior ornaments for the annual Quileute Days celebration.
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Jacob Smith of the Quileute tribe, wearing traditional warrior ornaments for the annual Quileute Days celebration.

© Marco Waldis - A car speeding back into town. In the distance, marks of a recent fire among the trees.
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A car speeding back into town. In the distance, marks of a recent fire among the trees.

© Marco Waldis - Frank House, carrying on a family logging tradition that spans three generations.
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Frank House, carrying on a family logging tradition that spans three generations.

© Marco Waldis - The entrance hall of the Elks Lodge, showcasing portraits of the organization’s most prominent members.
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The entrance hall of the Elks Lodge, showcasing portraits of the organization’s most prominent members.

© Marco Waldis - A Forks resident on his homemade electric tricycle in the Outfitters parking lot.
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A Forks resident on his homemade electric tricycle in the Outfitters parking lot.