Stevens Creek Reservoir

Completed in 1935, Stevens Creek Reservoir backs up against California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, right on the edge of Silicon Valley. Having driven past there many times, one day I decided to stop and photograph it—but set myself the challenge of using only a smartphone, and to work only in black and white. That one stop turned into three winters, and led to a sizable body of work, from which I selected these 9 images to unpack the reservoir’s story. As water levels dropped, I explored the reservoir more deeply, and discovered a surprising variety of narratives. Some spoke of our impact on the environment by building a dam, and the material culture we left behind as trash. Others told of nature’s swift reclaiming of the lakebed through plants and animals, as weeds sprouted up around old tires and beer cans. By using a single focal length throughout, the photographs all share the same wide-angle aesthetic, like a single voice asking different questions. Stevens Creek Reservoir reveals unexpected beauty in a commonplace setting, and invites the audience to reflect. Today, thanks to a culture of instant gratification and visual over-saturation, our attention spans have eroded almost completely. With these images, I want to create an immersive, reductionist experience, that invites the viewers to stop, and engage with what they see—if only for a brief moment.