They Call It Home
The Southeastern Utah Collection

The photos in the Southeastern Utah Collection are about the Anglo people of San Juan County. They were made from the heart of a young man, uncertain of where his skills as a photographer would lead him, as a journalist or artist, open to the possibilities of what ideas his vision and his craft could share with others, but unknowing of what it could ultimately mean to himself. The project was based in Blanding, Utah, a small community with a population of about twenty-two hundred people, at the base of the Blue Mountains between Arches National Monument and Moab to the north, and to the south, Monument Valley and Four Corners, where the states of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada uniquely meet. The communities of Blanding, Monticello and Bluff were gracious, and the people open to being photographed in their homes, places of work, and at play. Their relaxed nature and the personal connection which developed between them and the stranger with the camera made this work possible. For some, the images have become a story of a place and its people. For others, they represent memories of a very special time.