My family tree includes immigrant ancestors who made a living by working the soil; I can trace their lineage to people carrying on this work to the present day. That personal heritage inspired the Working Land project. I set out to photograph people at work, their tools and their surrounding landscapes, to explore how a life’s work situated in the physical world transforms a particular piece of land, and in turn, how the land shapes the life of the worker.
Throughout this body of work, I explored themes important to me: the workplace as expression of the worker’s personality, the dignity of rural work, the documentation of a time, place and lifestyle for future generations, and how an attachment to a place can pass down through generations.
I feel privileged that the subjects of these photographs allowed me to tell their stories, to show this part of their lives as an expression of their personalities and vocations. Collaborating with them on the making of these photographs and their hand-drawn maps and diagrams for the exhibit has been richly rewarding for me, both artistically and in terms of human relationships.
Broken down combine during soybean harvest
Kubitz farm, October 15, 2013: Evan needed to replace a shaft bearing on his combine before completing the soybean harvest. He must have felt time pressure, but as a talented and experienced mechanic, I think he also felt confident in the situation. While making a portrait in an active work place, I feel a bit of anxiety, but also a sense of connection through this collaboration with my subject.