“Episodes: Salt Lake City” is a photographic journey through our own backyard – a backyard that because of our collective familiarity with it is often taken for granted or unseen. The collection includes photographs taken from the same vantage point over a one-year period, and displays the landscape through a myriad of dynamic environmental phases. The Great Salt Lake, downtown, Stansbury Island, and the Kennecott Smokestack – all considerable elements in their own right – provide a point of reference and scale to the dominance of the atmosphere around them, as they are enveloped by storms, inversion, fire, lightning, snow, sunrises, and sunsets.  Each print is approximately 36” x 24”, and will allow the viewer to study in detail the world around them, and foster an appreciation for the power and fragility of our environment.

Episodes 01 - 16 were exhibited at The Gallery at Library Square, Salt Lake City from November 21 2015 - January 8, 2016.

After living in the Hawaiian Islands for several years, the thrill of photographing yet another magnificent waterfall or stunning sunset begins to dwindle.  Despite the many natural wonders of the islands, my focus gradually shifted not surprisingly, from the natural splendor of the landscape to the impact man has had on this paradise.  With the presence of all four branches of the military, nearly eight million tourists visiting each year, and approximately one million people living on an island chain 2400 miles from the nearest landmass, it is unavoidable that mankind has marked its territory on this very sacred land.

This series of photographs, which I captured over a one-year period in 2011, provides a glimpse into the various ways humanity’s impression is naturally woven into this once pristine landscape, creating a new and surreal vista. 

I have always loved looking at these very old photographs of my hometown of New Orleans ranging from the early 1900s to the 1940s. On a recent trip home, I spent a few days walking the streets with my wife Catherine, recreating the shots as closely as possible to show how, in some places, the city is still very much the same!  All of the vintage photos are courtesy of shorpy.com.