Mundane scenes and quiet settings are therapeutic for me. Often, I’ll be navigating the many varying neighborhoods and streets of Portland, Oregon for hours, listening to jazz radio or a hip hop playlist, hoping to stumble upon a small moment of comfort in a corner of the city I’ve yet to explore. Taking photos has allowed me to feel at home in any part of the city I’ve lived my whole life in.
Photography is an activity I use to slow down, and to think more thoroughly. In an age where our attention is being pulled in any number of (sometimes contradictory) directions, making these images has become a grounding mechanism. The processes of film photography – the deliberateness of loading a camera, setting up a tripod, composition, timing – are both calming and fulfilling. When an image turns out it’s rewarding to keep that moment forever, and when it doesn’t it’s an opportunity to look for that moment again elsewhere.
For me, there’s no major exploration or an overall motif to my work. It was born out of boredom and survives off of an eagerness to drive around aimlessly and capture pleasant moments. I think many people can identify with a subtle feeling of ease when in a quiet, still environment. I hope my images can provide a small version of that feeling.
