“Passageway”

Kewaskum, WI

Not far from a mountain biking trail outside of Milwaukee, I discovered this subject hidden in a grove of thick pine trees. I captured it as part of an ongoing b&W series titled ”From Within.”

When I started photography at 14, I found myself wanting to capture the feeling or mood a place or subject gave me when I photographed it. I didn’t want to snap a bunch of postcard-perfect pictures. I wanted to capture something from within. I’ve always been a thinker, and a bit of a deep person. Throughout my journey as a photographer though, I’ve often wrestled with being true to that way of photography, while feeling compelled to create the kind of work that I think others might find popular or approve of. Yes, I admittedly have worried too much about what others will think of my work rather than just presenting images that I find most meaningful to me. The intent of this series was to focus on expressing my inner connection to the landscape. As such, I gave myself the freedom to shoot anything, without self-judgment. To simply see, react and shoot! It’s been liberating, and an important step of growth for me as an artist.