Cody Weber Photographer - Forgotten Iowa

photographer cody weber

Photographer Cody Weber comes from the city of Fairfield, state of Iowa. At the beginning of his career, Weber delved deep into his family history, which inspired dozens of creative photographs. The reason why Cody’s work is so captivating is twofold: firstly, you see the withered beauty of abandoned Iowa houses that were forgotten by the world, and secondly, you get to witness the tragedy of what the former residents have left behind.

Cody Weber: BIO

Once he was done learning the history of his family, Cody chose to go on an adventure and become a street photographer, His first stop was the Croton community, as he wanted to visit the Church constructed by his great-grandfather.

Afterward, Weber drove his car through the State, searching for forgotten houses, decrepit shops, and various objects and structures scattered across Iowa. This led to the creation of his most famous project – Forgotten Iowa which spans over 99 counties and almost a thousand towns.

During all his trips, Cody Weber is accompanied by his girlfriend Kat Kanan. She plays the role of a navigator in this adventure: she checks the map, keeps track of hours and miles, and makes sure they both have a place to stay and don’t go hungry.

He is not as those Instagram photographers who share his photos every hours. Meantime, Cody is constantly trying to find the most interesting locations and camera angles for his urban photography. However, the adventure only begins when they save up enough money. That’s why they are searching for people who are willing to sponsor the Forgotten Iowa project.

Over time, enough sponsors show up and the project is funded. Photographer Cody Weber takes these photos to prove that Iowa isn’t just an endless row of cornfields and roads but also has unique places to visit that are over 200 years old and became a part of the country’s history.

When asked the question of what he likes the most about what he does, Weber responded that the most heart-breaking part of his work is when he visits the downtown area of an abandoned city, he can envision how that location once looked. He imagines the crowded restaurants with visitors reading newspapers and gossiping.

When he’s visiting a forgotten overgrown park and sees an old bench, Cody pictures a couple that shared their first kiss there. Such reflective moments are what inspire Weber to continue his journey.