Where the Plow Cannot Find Them

Where the Plow Cannot Find Them is the culmination of thousands of miles, hundreds of cemeteries, countless photographs, and months of research. It is also the (hopefully) first volume of many.

While exploring the backroads and towns of the West and Midwest, I continually came across cemeteries. Sometimes I'd stop and look around, maybe take a few pictures. But as time went on, I stayed a little longer, I looked at the names, the dates, imagined stories. And finally, I brought along my 4x5 camera, and the cemeteries became my main subject.

My interest started as something on the surface. The stones themselves, as well as their settings, were interesting. The decay, the preservation, the way they lay upon the land, and how they sometimes sank into it, all caught my eye.

When I returned home and wished to share a few, I was at a loss for what to say about them. This is where the research came into things. Now I had stories, sometimes detailed and sprawling, other times hardly anything more than names.

This book contains 75 of those photographs and 75 of those stories. I am based out of Washington, and so many of them come from this state. Others come from Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon. Future books will feature more and different states, but Washington will always likely have a special focus for me (if for no other reason than it's easier).

The Book Itself

The book will be hardback, 8"x10" and have 188ish pages. It will feature 75 photos with 75 stories containing whatever information I could gather about the person buried there. It'll also include a few longer stories and a bit of background about my process.

The b&w photos were shot by me on 4x5 x-ray film. They will be in the book. Of course, the behind-the-scenes photos next to them won't be.