Photographer: Trent Ryden

​

In this series of photos, it is my hope to encapsulate my experiences this summer 2020. Being that I can only speak for myself, I can say that this summer has been like no other. From Nationwide protests in the US to a global pandemic and having graduated college just over a year ago, to being laid off from my job of two years because of COVID-19, I have learned that no two days are the same and that more things are possible than I ever could have imagined. I no longer believe in coincidence or accidents. Even though I inhabit the same body as I did just eight months ago, I feel as if my attitude and perspective regarding my life has changed; a paradigm shift perhaps. This does not bother me, as evolution and change is inevitable and necessary.

​

The photos in this series are photos of my friends and shots of North Carolina, from east to west, the ocean to the mountains. Many of the people in these photos I haven’t seen in years, despite them meaning so much to me. It was my goal to capture them, as any photographer hopes, in their natural essence, from my eye of course. I wanted to show how I feel about these people purely through the aesthetic quality of the photos. The other shots are landscape and sunrises on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina as well as landscapes and waterfalls of the Appalachian Mountains. I really wanted to travel as much as I could across my home state, as its beauty and culture is a timeless source of inspiration.

 

I want to call this series "Constants" because of my life's recurring elements thus far, many of which are my friends and the beauty of the place I call home.

​

Photographer: Trent Ryden

Instagram: @Trentryd 

Email: trentryden@gmail.com

​