Photographer Ben Marcin Explores Marginalized Homes in New Book "The Holdouts"

Marcin's photography project documents solo row houses, abandoned Eastern Shore farms, and homeless encampments that have resisted development and displacement.

Published on Feb. 28, 2026

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Photographer Ben Marcin is releasing a new book titled "The Holdouts" that explores the stories behind marginalized homes and living spaces in and around Baltimore, Maryland. The book features three distinct sets of homes: solo row houses in the inner city that have survived urban redevelopment, abandoned farmhouses on the Eastern Shore where families have moved on, and homeless encampments in Baltimore that are constantly displaced. Marcin's photographs raise questions about whose stories get preserved and whose disappear.

Why it matters

Marcin's work shines a light on the often-overlooked histories and experiences of marginalized communities, from African Americans who migrated north during the Great Migration to present-day homeless individuals struggling with addiction. His photographs of these "holdout" homes and living spaces serve as vestiges of the past and reminders of the ongoing challenges of displacement, gentrification, and the preservation of community identity.

The details

"The Holdouts" features photographs of three distinct types of marginalized homes: solo row houses in Baltimore's inner city that have resisted demolition, abandoned farmhouses on Maryland's Eastern Shore where families have moved on after generations of farming, and homeless encampments in Baltimore that are constantly displaced. Marcin spent years tracking down and documenting these elusive, often hidden spaces, which he sees as embodying a "straightforward definition of what a holdout is, namely, the act of resisting something or refusing to accept what is offered."

  • Marcin's book "The Holdouts" is being published by GOST Books in London and will be released in the United States in the summer of 2026.
  • Marcin has been working on photographic essays exploring the idea of home and the passing of time for years, with previous projects like "Last House Standing" and "The Camps" receiving wide press.

The players

Ben Marcin

A photographer based in Baltimore, Maryland who was born in Germany and has lived in Baltimore since 1978. Many of Marcin's photographic essays explore the idea of home and the passing of time.

GOST Books

A London-based publisher that is releasing Marcin's book "The Holdouts" in the United States in the summer of 2026.

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What they’re saying

“I have been following Ben Marcin's work for years–his terrific typologies of houses/buildings standing alone in the landscape – vestiges of history, time, and community. He has built a legacy of considering the architecture of how we live.”

— Sally Ann Field (lenscratch.com)

What’s next

Marcin is raising funds to publish "The Holdouts" through a Kickstarter campaign.

The takeaway

Marcin's photographs of these "holdout" homes and living spaces serve as powerful reminders of the often-overlooked histories and ongoing challenges faced by marginalized communities, raising important questions about whose stories get preserved and whose disappear.