10 years since one of the most significant chapters of my journey as an artist. This era keeps popping up on my timelines and I felt inspired to put it all together and share some words.

Sydney - Joshua Tree (2016)

I made the move to Los Angeles summer of 2015, which was a whole Hail Mary in itself. I moved more or less when I decided I wanted to be a photographer. Emphasis on decided because it was BEFORE any real portfolio was put together, nor a direction discovered.. just vibes. So my goal when I landed was ‘networking’, staying busy, being the person doing the thing, etc.. and making time for personal work, or at least work that felt that way because I wasn’t all the way sure of what that looked like at the time neither.

Portrait taken in Utah during roadtrip to west coast — 2015 - Utah (taken by Ray during our drive to California)

Not long after settling in, I have one of those chance encounters that changes trajectories. I meet Sydney. Sydney is an LA native that had been to all parts of the world, blogging about her travels (www.coconutcurl.com). Like most my people, she’s a star in her own right. We met up in Woodland Hills over dinner and would eventually go on to consider each other family. But before that, she was looking for a photographer to document some of her upcoming trips around California and the west coast. We locked in, then proceeded to being one of the greatest artists collaborations of all time..

Over the course of that year (and beyond) we took all opportunities to be outside, and documented mostly through these photographs that will forever hold a special place in my portfolio for how significant they were during this especially formative time.

I added a song from a 2015 playlist to match the vibe. It’s a long scroll. I chime in throughout. This was my rookie year..

Portrait of Sydney in Los Angeles, California. — LACMA

Environmental portrait of Sydney of rocks and ocean in Big Sur California — Sydney walked out there between the waves.. the space between us was underwater each time one passed

Fun fact: the 85mm lens I took this photo with fell off the mountain a few minutes after

The output was crazy. Flow state, every time. Nature. Cameras, music, good energy, art. Simple life. No grand scheme or plan other than to be outside. The work was barely the intention, more so a byproduct of the moments.

And speaking of collaboration.. Some of my greatest ‘album covers’ came from a “let me take one of you” during these excursions. Shout out again to Sydney for the eye and Cherelle on some of these:

Close up black and white portrait with Polaroid camera and hat

Joshua Tree can come with its own book for real.. maybe a lil foreshadow there. Special place, forever. It started here for me. And as of the time of me typing this, it’s also the location of Sydney & I’s last creative link up.

The desert is powerful. It became the default for me whenever I needed to ground, unplug, or just be in nature. It also serves as the backdrop to a good portion of my work, not by accident. The silence out there is loud. A blank canvas for wherever your mind wants to go. Creativity flourishes every time. More receipts:

Documentary-photography-portrait-Joshuatree-California-fineart — Cherelle & Sydney

Medium portrait of me in Joshua tree California

Still in 2016 by the way… but fast forward 5 years to our last visit to Joshua Tree and a few of the photos that came from it.

One of my biggest honors as a photographer is to have the opportunity to document different stages of people’s lives over the years, and having photographs to represent that evolution in some way, big or small. It’s longform storytelling. To hold the space necessary for that to be possible, to me, is success. This is not a universal opportunity.

Fine art portrait of Sydney with the Joshua Trees — Sydney - Joshua Tree (2021)

To put it all in perspective, growing up in Holyoke, Massachusetts the only roadtrip I knew about at the time was to Boston or New York City.. to then drives to Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Big Sur, etc.. where the roads were as memorable as the destinations. The aesthetic, the vibe, the wind, the sunrises/sunsets.. the feeling of every trip being ‘a movie’… my mind was expanding a mile a minute, in every direction.

I mentioned how formative this time was and I don’t just mean stylistically. Our earlier outings did a lot for shaping not only my photographic eye, but also my relationship with nature, art and what I wanted my practice and career as a photographer to look like. More aligned with who I am. Less about a production, more about being present. These experiences far outweighed any exposures I had with industry work.. no contest. Commercial work never felt as fulfilling. Playing small to ‘move up’ didn’t work for me, never felt that way. Ownership of your work?? Miss me. Permission to post? Miss me. a net 30? ..please.. It’s all backwards if you ask me. Very unnatural to (my) creative process.

My brain was wiring the entire time… I was moving closer to who I am today.

———

I don’t usually say a lot. I’m present for the most part and nothing is lost on me. But with more time, to process, reflect, and grow as a storyteller, I’m not only better at putting words to these experiences, but I find it more necessary. I (still) lean on letting the work speak for itself, but recently I’ve felt like even though I don’t always care to explain.. the work deserves it. So this is just my first iteration of honoring a chapter that’s near and dear to me. Part walk down memory lane and part thank you letter to Sydney, my friend and first muse.

Grateful.

until next time.