I’LL MISS YOU SOMEDAY

People are irrevocably entwined into the memories of place, and often, it is difficult to separate the two. For this final project, I aim to give one last nod to the city that grew on me over the years because of the people I encountered within it. From the vantage point of this image, one sees the sprawling entirety of Reno, Nevada, from the university to the downtown skyline, the mountains covered in snow as far as the eye can see, and every road, house, car, and street lamp in between. I won’t remember every detail within this glittery mess of concrete, glass, lights, dirt, and trees; instead, I’ll remember what happened inside the maze and who I encountered along the way.  

For this project, I referenced Walker Evans’ Polaroid era. Throughout his career, Evans obsessively returned to particular subjects that ultimately provided a window to American life in his time. He turned his fascination toward the Polaroid camera in the 1970s, and the camera’s portability and accessibility helped him bring his focus more intimately to the everyday. Likewise, this project reflects the traditions of photography in which we make images of what we deem valuable, while simultaneously referencing the contributions of instant film brought by Polaroid in this process of memory-making.