Photography by Carly Rene Hough
Spanning several years and multiple states, Lonesome Town is an ongoing photographic series by Los Angeles-based photographer and filmmaker Carly Rene Hough. Rooted in the eerie atmosphere of horror films, dreams, and the quiet beauty of small-town America, Hough weaves together staged moments and spontaneous glimpses from real life to create a haunting, cinematic narrative.
Documenting her return to the West Coast, Hough reflects:
"During a period when I rarely stayed in one place for long, the camera became my anchor. I wandered through forgotten alleys and vacant parking lots, finding comfort in the stillness of suburban sprawl and rural remnants. Shopping malls faded like ghosts; cemeteries passed like a time-lapse. My world existed within the frame of my car windows. Through these disconnected places, I tried to make sense of a world that felt suspended outside of time."
