Rindge Dam Spillway

My photography is often drawn toward young tribes committed to seeking true escapism. This is my first black and white series, which is also one of my more concise projects as I document youth who spend a hot summer in 2018 returning to a hidden location near the California coast, where they dive into the water beneath a concrete, man-made spillway. For me, the moment they jump until they hit the water below represents absolute mindfulness and pure freedom.

Here the man-made Dam, tagged with graffiti, contrasts against the overwhelming rocks and untouched nature. I watched the figures jump and swim, playing with ideas of masculinity as much as the final images do. I work with darkroom fiber prints that help to soften shadow and light on the skin. By extension, the camera and my eye are embedded in this hidden world of freedom. I was as equally obsessed with documenting these moments as the youths are with pushing their physical and mental selves.

Rindge Dam Spillway is a series of fifteen black and white images, each minted as 1/1, only.