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All images in A Recent History are photographed using a large format 4x5 view camera. The body of work is drum-scanned and printed up to 43"x53". Many images are also printed traditionally on 16"x20" glossy surface silver gelatin photographic paper. A variety of sizes from 8"x10" to 43"x53" are available as pigment prints.

 

 

A Recent History

A Recent History depicts historical and cultural landmarks throughout the rural Palouse region, located in Southeastern Washington state. Most of the images were made by literally turning away from what is considered the monumental subject in order to bring attention to the unobserved details within a distinct public space.

In order to understand the landmark as a subject for photographic exploration, one must look at the context in which the images and markers they depict were made. This includes the social, cultural, even hierarchical characteristics that become apparent under critical examination. A Recent History seeks to address these issues and question the authenticity of how we label the landscape in response to its cultural or historical significance.

 

 

All images in Circum-navigating the Hanford Nuclear Reservation are photographed using a large format 4x5 view camera. The body of work is drum-scanned and printed up to 20"x30". A variety of sizes from 8"x10" to 43"x53" are available as pigment prints.

 

 

Circum-navigating the Hanford Nuclear Reservation

As the largest nuclear waste dump in the Western Hemisphere and a major threat to the Columbia River, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation has become the focus of the world’s largest environmental cleanup effort. In 2007, I began traveling the perimeter of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation fence line, purely out of curiosity, in order to photograph this remote and poisoned landscape.

Traveling the perimeter, I encounter numerous rest stops and parks that have popped up around the site. While isolated, sublime, even peaceful in setting, it can be surreal to consider the potential hazard that may dwell in the groundwater beneath some of these locations. The juxtaposition of these two landscapes within close proximity (the recreational site and superfund site) are interesting to consider.

Striking and dramatic, the visual aesthetics of traditional American landscape photography often depicts a mythological American West- romantic and bountiful in nature. Considering this, I approach my image making with a similar aesthetic, often purposely including Western clichés such as skulls and tumbleweeds. In my photographs, these clichés are juxtaposed with the realization of Hanford's toxic environment in an effort to create a sort of visual conflict for the viewer.

This body of work is part of a collaborative exhibition with multi-media artist Doug Gast. Click here to view their project website.

 

All images in Farmscapes are photographed using a large format 4x5 view camera. The body of work is printed traditionally on 16"x20" glossy surface silver gelatin photographic paper. A variety of sizes from 8"x10" to 20"x24" and larger are also available as pigment prints.

 

 

Farmscapes

McHenry County, IL, located about fifty miles Northwest of Chicago, has become one of the fastest developing counties in the nation. Growing up in this region, I have seen farmers pushed off the land their family has depended on for generations. The way of life that McHenry County was initially known for is disappearing due to a lack of sufficient space for urban development.

With these photographs, I hope to bring an increased awareness of the significance of these places and their inhabitants before they fade into memory.

 

All images in Northern Illinois Wetlands are photographed using a large format 4x5 view camera or 645 medium format camera. The body of work is drum-scanned and printed digitally on semi-matte surface pigment paper. A variety of sizes from 8"x10" to 20"x24" and larger are available.

 

Northern Illinois Wetlands

Northern Illinois Wetlands addresses the state of the region's natural features. The Illinois landscape consists of environments, like the oak savannah, that are more endangered than most tropical rainforests. Since its recorded history, 99.9% of the Illinois tall grasslands have completely vanished in order to pave the way for farming and urban sprawl.

In A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold observes rural Illinois is often depicted as "...the sea on which they [travelers] sail to posts unknown." With these images, I hope to create a greater appreciation and awareness for our local environments. Photography forces the viewer to slow down and take a closer look; to examine the Illinois landscape and its delicacy rather than act merely as an observer.

 

 

 

 

 

All images in Aman are photographed using a large format 4x5 view camera. The body of work is drum-scanned and printed up to 20"x24". Many images are also printed traditionally on 16"x20" glossy surface silver gelatin photographic paper. A variety of sizes from 8"x10" to 20 "x24" are available as pigment prints.

 

 

Aman- Ruins of Ireland's West Coast

Aside from depicting the obvious aesthetics of Western Ireland, I am interested in recording the presence of the human mark on the landscape. In Ireland, this is made visible through the commonality of deserted villages, derelict homesteads, and medieval abbeys. Though abandoned, these structures are not forgotten. Instead, they aid in defining rural Ireland's culture and tradition. At old abbeys and cemeteries, special attention is traditionally given to the graves of those who have no one left among the living to remember them. Mark making, or graffiti, becomes a common practice at abandoned structures amongst Irish youth; whom often make these locations their playgrounds. Additionally, the presence of ruined dwellings and villages help dictate Ireland's strict land-use policies.

By photographing the ruins of rural Ireland, my goal is to bring attention to how presence and trace is able to dictate a region's visual history and tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

All images in The West are photographed using a large format 4x5 view camera, 645 medium format camera or pro digital SLR. A variety of sizes from 8"x10" to 20"x24" and larger are available on semi-matte surface pigment paper.

 

 

The West

The images included in this series range from large establishments like Yosemite National Park, to less popular, but equally as stunning landscapes such as the Eagle Cap Wilderness or the rural Palouse.

Since it is easy to become overwhelmed by the striking features photographs of the Western United States have become known for, many of the images are intended to provoke a meditative response that reflects the appreciation I have acquired for these depicted locations. I hope these photographs can be valued past mere aesthetics to serve as a reminder for the importance of conservation and our natural environment.