The Ideal Tourist

"I was feeling better than I'd remembered feeling since I was a kid, when everything was good and the land was still singing kids' poetry to me."

-Ken Kesey

These images are driven by a desire to know the local landscape more intimately. I have photographed Kentucky’s wild spaces over many years, across all seasons and conditions. I seek specific lighting that lends a slightly enchanted quality to the images. The series weaves together landscapes, abstracted natural forms, and images of people and animals interacting with the environment to present an alternative vision of our relationship with nature—an imagined reality, perhaps, or a glimpse of what life could be if guided by the rhythms of the seasons rather than the demands of capital. The inhabitants of these photos wander through local wild spaces largely free of the signifiers of our current time. The images are tense yet whimsical, meandering yet present, creating emotive spaces that highlight the healing power of these often-overlooked places.This series remains ongoing.