Between catching frogs and memorizing trails in the forest behind our house, my interest in the mystical qualities of life began early in my childhood. I spent long hours outside exploring by myself – a symptom of being an only child, perhaps. I learned at an early age that I was conceived through a sperm donation clinic and, as I understand it, would not be alive without modern advances in fertility. Because of this, I’ve always had a deep respect for people who are investigating the fundamentals of life itself, as I often feel like a result of these inquiries. I don’t think we understand the world near as much as we like to tell ourselves, or that science likes to tell us, and the more I keep researching, photographing, and diving into this conundrum we call life, the more questions I have.
 
To Hold This Mystery is a series of colour photographs featuring various elements of the natural world. Using formal qualities such as colour, lighting, and camera perspective, I aim to transform otherwise ordinary occurrences into highly descriptive yet puzzling pictures, suggesting the world is far more mysterious than we think. I hope these pictures shift the viewers perspective on what natural environments look like, and thus instill a new sense of appreciation for the Earth. I’m interested in how these fundamental elements of photography, in combination with one another, can result in a description of the world as something otherworldly, or even revelatory. I photograph during the early hours of the morning and late in the evening – times when there are fewer people outside and sight is limited. Using artificial light, I illuminate aspects of nature that are within highly populated cities and towns at a time when we have difficulty seeing, altering our perspective of this place we call home. I think of this project as a balancing act between highly descriptive renderings of the world and pure abstraction, blurring the line between reality and the unknowable.