Our Tether

In this series, I explore my unique experience being a local in Moab, Utah, a place that millions visit but few call home. Through these images I delve into the emotional and physical landscape of my life in Moab, both from my time as a child and in the present.

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My childhood was idyllic in many ways. I grew up sleeping under the stars on a trampoline, running wild through sandstone canyons, and splashing in the Colorado River. I learned early to have a sense of awe and reverence for the incredible landscapes I lived in. But as I moved into adulthood, I became impacted by my father's lifelong struggle with alcoholism.

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I use photography as a way to remember the good in the world, even when there is so much pain around. This project is an exploration of ancestry. Both of my grandmothers are painters. My father, in his own way, is an artist. I am a photographer. Everyone who has come before me in my lineage chooses to seek beauty, often as a way to survive the hard parts of life. These photographs are an offering to that lineage, our tether. 

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Our Tether documents the complicated love I feel for my dad, the pain of watching him fight an invisible illness likely gained from generational trauma, and the healing power of nature and beauty. 

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All images are hand printed on silver gelatin paper. Most images are taken by me. A few came from a camera that I found in my Dad's shed, film still in it. 25 years later, I developed the film and printed the images by hand of my childhood, contained within the camera body, surviving years of heat and freezing temperatures.