Like all maps, this one is an abstraction intended to quickly convey some amount of meaning connected to a far more complex experience of space. The map of this territory takes further license with geography in serving as a symbol for my photographic work – past, current, and projected future. The place introduced by the map and defined in the pictures is as much an invention as it is a discovery. This place is a resource and an envelope for a series of interconnected bodies of work that are probably becoming a single perpetual tale that I am attempting to tell visually; one in which the viewer is invited to participate.

I was born and raised in East Tennessee where I grew up being told I would either be an artist or a minister. One of those options seemed to make my family nervous, so I went with it. I attended college close to home wanting to be some sort of an artist but knowing little else. I drew, painted, sang, and wrote bad poetry until, fortunately, I met the photographer and teacher Mike Smith and quickly discovered what I wanted to do. I completed an MFA in 2008 at ETSU under his mentorship with many trips, stories, and reasons to be thankful under my belt. The chief reason being that I met my wife, Jessica, while completing my degree. We moved to Nashville the following year. To my surprise, as I continued to build my work in photography, that other childhood impression started calling again. In 2016, I was ordained a priest with the Anglican Mission in America, and I currently serve at Christ Church Nashville. Jessica and I have two young boys, Ambrose and Oliver, who love to explore with us as I continue to work on the interconnected project(s) represented by the map above. I’m grateful that my work has been included in a variety of local, national, and international exhibitions and has been featured by Aint-Bad, Fotofilmic, and Oxford American among others.