“Testing Waters”

Warm months spent close to the coast make space for the self to resurface from challenges of the human condition. The waterside is ageless; both youth and adults are fond of heat rays cooled by a wave’s caress. Each summer, I flee to these days as an act of re-birth into new discoveries of myself and companions in our transitional adult years.

Our childhood relationships, grounded in ritual, continue to unfold deeper connections. Bliss and compassion surge within our safety net as we expose ourselves to one another under the sun. Conversations of social class, Queerness, and citizenship status are consoled by serenity of the external space. The vulnerability of our support system enhances a tenderness in both our relationships and photographs made together over the period of several years.

The presence of my large format camera is an added weight to my body and process. I feel a heavy insistence to preserve these moments of tradition in the presence of unpredictable change. Through these images, I am an agent of protection as we bloom.