Roger Mills Series

These are photographs from a series taken in Roger Mills County in western Oklahoma. It is an exploration of both the people who still live there and the many who have died or moved away.

To see more photos just hit the previous button at the bottom of this page.

Portraits

Inside a home

Help

If anyone knows of places or people in Roger Mills County that you think I should photograph let me know.

Thanks

Buildings

Things hanging from fences

Horses

Slaughter House and Playhouse

Second trip to Roger Mills

This past weekend I made my second trip to Roger Mills to shoot for the project. I'm very excited about the people I met during the trip. I approached a number of people at their homes and other places. Everyone was as friendly and open as I expected them to be and I really enjoyed meeting them. Some of the people that I met are pictured below.

The Freemans & Chad

LaVonna and The Calverts

Colors

Homes

First Photographs

Roger Mills County

Growing up in western Oklahoma gave me a strong appreciation for both the land and the people that I was surrounded by. I choose to express this appreciation by making a photographic record of present day Roger Mills County. This series will include photographs of residents as well as the remanents of those who have left or passed on. The difficulties of living in the county have caused the population to decline from 12,000 in 1907 to around 3,000 today. Those who continue to live in a place that so many have abandoned demand my admiration and interest.

I try to photograph beauty that might otherwise be overlooked. At the same time I never want to romanticize my subject. The stark beauty and complex issues of Roger Mills County provides the opportunity to make the type of photographs that I want to make. If I can walk the thin line between sentimentalizing and exploiting then I have succeeded.

These photos will be shown at a group show at the Untitled Artspace in Oklahoma City during September and October of this year. In 2008 they will be at the Metcalfe Museum in Roger Mills County from June to August.