It was never hard for me to leave home. I was not the type to get homesick at summer camp, I cannot remember missing my mom at childhood sleepovers, and I lived in anticipation of the day I would finally leave for college, so as a result I was not sad about leaving for college. That summer before I left for school I shot a lot of film, and after revisiting those images over and over again I realized it was my way of saying goodbye. My family and my home were not going anywhere, but our shared life was ending. These photographs are a reflection of the memories I would soon miss creating. Whether it’s my father lighting a firework at his brothers cabin, or my mother letting us explore Moonshine Beach, Missouri, my family played an integral part in each of these photographs. I will always have my family, but the chapter of all five of us living under the same roof was coming to a close.
