A land of our own

The wildlands of the American West are the cultural bedrock of the region; my own time in the wilderness of the Uinta Mountains and Escalante Canyons of Utah has molded my actions and beliefs extensively. I grew up an hour from Salt Lake City, and I’ve always felt tied to it, but my work is about society and people reflected in nature. Here in the Western U.S., this connection to land is inescapable. Be it agriculture, mining or recreation, our culture reflects the lands around us, the commitment to keeping open spaces public ensures this undercurrent remains. The prints here speak to the humanity we find in the woods, the desert and everything extant in the wider world.

         Photography’s ties to environmentalism run deep. Carleton Watkins’ photographs of Yosemite were influential in President Lincoln’s decision to preserve the area in 1864; the first time this had occurred in the United States, and Ansel Adams’ advocacy work similarly resulted in the 1940 designation of King’s Canyon National Park. Watkins’ and Adams’ photos feel as powerful today as they did then, as though the methods and exact causes have changed, the meanings still course through their photos of the West. This understanding inspires the work here.

         The attempts to remove protections from public lands including Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and roadless areas throughout the West are disheartening. In 2026, western states and the federal government are ignoring warnings about the degradation of our quality of life to glean untouched riches. Drilling, logging and prioritizing data centers isn’t just hurting the soul of our country, but also ensuring a more expensive present and future for everyone We’re locking down rivers and forests in order to fuel a system that is actively destroying the world beneath our feet. These losses are unnecessary, oft made in the name of economic engines like coal and oil that are dying under the weight of their financial burdens. The places in my photos aren’t just coordinates on the map, they are spots that exemplify the need for protections from our own industrial acts. If left alone, I’m certain humans will ravage the land until there is nothing to stand on. I am making this work to prevent this degradation, for fear that mankind will instead be left with scars and epitaphs in place of the natural world.