This started off as a photo essay of Mason, Ohio, documenting what I saw around me as I had been taught in school. I set out with a few ideas and a shot list. I met people and created images. I began to realize many of the places I went to were places I went as a kid, where I spent my time as a young man, growing up and learning. I was photographing my relationship with this place I had come to know. It is where I spent my formative years as a young man. I photographed memories, places, and people who brought back thoughts and feelings that I had long forgotten. I felt like a kid again, experiencing Mason the way I had long ago.
If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I don’t think I would have ever photographed my community. I realized I was creating this body of work as a last goodbye to my hometown. The work reflects my psychological state during the pandemic. Through the isolation caused by the pandemic, I was able to focus on this body of work. Nostalgia struck me as I returned to places I once explored with new photographic eyes and captured what I saw. I needed to express the change, the loss, and the transformation I was going through while on the cusp of leaving where I had spent my formative years. I decided that once I leave, I am starting a new life. I needed to photograph Mason one last time, Before I Leave.