I’ll be the first to admit that I usually don’t love photography zines. Most the one’s I’ve encountered have been uninspired, a dumping ground of grainy shots in desperate need of curation, cliched photos that could’ve been taken by anyone, anywhere. All that to say that it takes a lot for a photography zine to impress me.

“Not Lost” by Steve Busch impressed me.

The zine features black and white photography that Steve captured “while on adventures around the world from 2018 to 2020”, snaps of abandoned amusement parks, urban decay, graffiti-ed houses, and rusted out old cars. Crisp with details, and keenly framed, Steve has a master’s eye for image. He has a true gift for capturing the spirit of a place, and there is a beautiful sense of loss and longing in these images (and occasionally a glimpse of terror — an off-kilter shot of a decrepit airplane interior sends a shiver down my spine.) All that remains are the ghosts and the rust and grime.

As Steven says in the zine’s introduction, “when you actually do find what you’re hunting for, it is all worth it.” This is the sort of photography zine I’ve been hunting for, and it was indeed worth it.