.

TORCH FISHING / THE LEAPING PLACE: The images in these series are in part an exploration of the Kumulipo, a Hawaiian creation chant that depicts the cosmological beginnings of the islands. Many of the images are meant as backdrops to the stories of the chant, while others follow the records and recollections of my own family, who immigrated to Hawai’i in the 1880s.

FALSE POND / CIVIL TWILIGHT: These landscapes center around the 2012-2016 drought in California, the most severe on record. ‘False pond,’ is cattle ranching slang for ‘mirage.’ Most of the images follow the many fragile paths of irrigation which bring water in to Southern California.

COUNTERBRAND: These landscapes were made within the Antelope Valley, which has endured the impact of several industries, from mining and ranching to aerospace. ‘Counterbrand’ is another piece of ranching slang, describing a new brand made on top of an old one. In the deserts where these images were made, the small evidences of the landscape’s previous lives are slow to fade and still present as each new industry rises.

TREES, STARS, AND BIRDS: The Angeles mountains. These images were made in situ, using artificial lighting similar to theatrical lighting. The goal is somewhere between photography and illustration, separating the trees from the landscapes they inhabit. The name is taken from a 1920s child’s educational book.