Essay 133 • Apr 12th 2017
- by Ty Hardin
I’m drawn to the relationship between people and place. The American West distills this…often harshly. Broken dreams of the past remain. Escape from the ‘real world’ is a constant fixture. Who among those of history went "West" to start their roadside cafe, their gas station, their Shangri-La, only to leave it broken and barren in the desert sands? Who among us today continue to set out for this beautiful and immense and unrelenting place? What are we looking for? What do we find?
My name is Ty Hardin and I like to walk around and talk to strangers. My camera is pretty much just an excuse to do that without being off-putting. When I say, “Hi, I want to take your photo,” what I really mean is, “Hi, I want to go really deep, really fast and get really close to you, gaze into your eyes and listen to your deepest fears/regrets/joys/desires.” Having a camera in hand makes otherwise-questionable behavior seem A-OK. I currently live in Bozeman, Montana/in my truck, Paco.