Can you describe three life moments that made you who you are today?
I grew up on a blueberry farm, and it had a profound effect on who I am today. It created a deep connection with the earth and its seasons, and how to care for the land. My entire childhood revolved around being outdoors and in the fields. Ultimately, I think it’s what led to my interest in the natural world.
When I was 16, my high school photography teacher gave me a copy of The Americans by Robert Frank. I grew up pretty sheltered and had never experienced anything like that through art before. I didn’t realize photography could transport you so completely into another place and tell a deep, complex story. That book changed how I saw the world and was formative in pushing me to want to experience more of it.
Right after graduating from my undergraduate degree, I worked as a research assistant on a leatherback sea turtle and primate study on the remote island of Bioko, off the west coast of Africa. We lived in tents for seven months without electricity or connection to the outside world. It was an experience defined as much by stillness as by work. I spent a long time alone, sitting in trees watching birds, or hiking through the jungle, taking notes on whatever I came across. That time taught me a lot about isolation, but also about attention and how to really look. It also changed my sense of what we’re capable of. At one point, I was chased by a ten foot cobra, and after that, everything else felt a little more possible.