in 2011 i worked as part of a youth project the ethnically divided town of Gorni Vakuv/Uskolpie in bosnia herzogovina
the country has some of the most beautiful landscapes i have ever witnessed
it also has one of the highest concentration of landmines in the world
to engage with and move through the countryside, one must do so with locals, those who know the paths through the fields
one must do so on their timetable - at their pace
whether it be a vista that would be wonderful at sunset, or a framing that would be magical from two metres from the right of the path, every decision is compromised by the shadow of the simple, brutal rule:
'don't walk in the long grass'
to make the most of the limited opportunites to document the spectacular views, i was forced to use multiple filters to get detail in the midday sky that left hard vignettes - changing films in a changing bag in forty degree heat left sweaty fingerprints - developing negatives with water that ran hot from the heat of the pipes before switching suddenly to freezing as it welled up from the deep well aquifers caused pucker grain and inconsistent contrast
just as the environment impacts all bosnians in their everyday lives, the context of each image's conception, composition, and processing leaves it's irrevocable trace
