When I was 10 years old my Mother told me she envisions me living a simple quiet life in the woods of Northern California. I never thought much of it until I visited the landscape 20 years later. My First trip for this project was in 2013. I kept returning soon after, following a feeling I simply had about the place. My Mother passed away in April of 2017. My trips north after her passing seemed to of gained clarity. I slowly began to realize what she meant. The more I visit and spend time in rural Northern California the more I see my own self in the landscape and amongst the people who live there. Through my perspective, It’s a place of isolation, the anti-social and people who just want to connect to the land. In the last few years, I’ve noticed a change in the landscape. Smoky air quality seems to be of the norm. Warmer weather due to the change in climate has altered parts of the region. There is a new influx of people moving in to take advantage of the legalization of marijuana. The landscape is slowly being altered; The more I visit the more I feel like a true outsider.

Kenny Hurtado is a Los Angeles based photographer, he studied at The Academy of Art San Francisco (2007-2008) and the San Francisco Art Institute (2008-2010). He was a finalist in The Independent Photographer ‘Emerging Talent’ award (2018), shortlisted for the FOTOFILMIC18 Award (2018) and a recipient of the Paul Sack Photography Award, San Francisco (2009). To see more of Kenny Hurtado’s work visit — Website / Instagram.