Travel and new ways of seeing
Two years ago, I took a trip that changed my life. My wife and I were traveling together in Italy—being tourists, visiting family, eating great food—and out of nowhere, I realized that I was meant to be a photographer. It was a bolt out of the blue and I had absolutely no idea what it meant. I had a small point and shoot camera with me at the time and knew nothing at all about photography. But I returned from that trip somehow knowing what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
In the two years since, I’ve been continually surprised by how prescient that realization was. I’ve gone deep, deep down the rabbit hole, spending entire days in the art library at Brooklyn College, devouring book after book of photography. I remember the exact moment I discovered the work of Harry Callahan. The same goes for Robert Adams, George Tice, Walker Evans, and Stephen Shore. Oh my god, Stephen Shore. There was an entire world that I had no idea existed, and now I am completely immersed in it.
I’ve looked at thousands of pictures in the last two years and taken thousands of pictures myself. I’ve often been unsteady and unsure of myself, like a newborn deer taking my first steps. I’ve taken some wrong turns along the way, but for the most part I have steadily improved. I know an awful lot about the technical requirements of making a good photo. I know how to put together a composition. I am developing a visual style and learning to work within a theme. But most importantly, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned about the great unknowable questions that live inside of me, and I’ve learned that I can get ever closer to answering those questions with a camera in my hand. I don’t think that I’ll ever get all the way to the bottom of all of this, or at least I hope I don’t. What do you do with a Rubik’s Cube that’s already been solved? You put it on the shelf and admire it. But I do know that every big step along the way leads to art-making that satisfies me on the deepest level.
I’ve just returned from another two weeks in Italy. Much like the last trip, it was revelatory. I have spent the last two years preparing the foundation for this moment, and I feel like I have taken that next step. I worked myself to the point of exhaustion. I climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and walked for days on end. At one point, I was fairly certain that I was going to die. (Never leave for a day-long hike in 95+ degree heat without bringing as much water as you can possibly carry… words to live by.)
I’ve only seen a couple of contact sheets so far, but I am falling in love. I’ve already noticed certain new patterns of seeing that emerged as I became more attuned to the landscape and to the climate. I think these patterns will be emphasized when I begin printing these photos in platinum in the fall. I will share a few images once I’ve gotten further along with developing and scanning, and then I’ll move on to printing the portfolio. I am very much looking forward to watching this series of photographs take shape and releasing them into the world.
