Terra Nostra

Terra Nostra is about recording the energy of our natural environment, the spirit of a place at a particular time. Every scene has a past and a future, and a relationship to all the individuals who have interacted with it. Can I be a conduit for the magic of a place? I began this work long before I understood my motivations, before I understood where it was coming from, or why. It felt instinctive, and the methods felt like the best way to capture the feeling of a place/time. I’m now realizing it was my subconscious connection to the natural world trying to manifest, me picking up on the latent moods of those who came before. I’ve come across images I shot 30 years ago that have a similar sensibility. This work was re-ignited during the 5 years my father was sick, as I spent time around Kimmel Lookout in Pennsylvania, a wooded area mid-way between my wife’s family home and my dad’s nursing home. As I made photographs to help process the emotions of seeing someone I love in their last years, I felt a connection to that place, at that time.