Cultivation

My series Cultivation documents the lives of Emily Sloss and Lee Miller, a couple in Hillsborough, North Carolina, realizing their dream of starting a farm. Although Emily and Lee love farming, they’re also balancing full-time, non-farming jobs. Whenever the two have time in the evening to spend in their garden or on weekends to feed and play with the sheep, it’s clear that farm life offers a refreshing pause from their fast-paced work lives.

I was fascinated by how Emily and Lee’s interactions with nature reveal their deep respect for all life—the plants that sustain them, the lambs that are orphaned, and the occasional toad that visits them. Thus, I strove to capture various moments at this unique site of cultivation—not only a cultivation of crops and livestock, but also a cultivation of love and respect for the natural world. Although I was unable to complete my original project due to Covid-19, I hope the images still allow you to pause and appreciate the life around you.

I also welcome you to watch the movie, below, on the series I did to document my experiences with the pandemic, which, coincidentally, also made me pause and appreciate those I love.