“The American Dream…”

and a Mercenary Tale

I was organizing some files the other day and I came across some photos that took me back to back to a time when I was at a personal and professional crossroads. During that inbetween time of figuring out what I was leaving behind and what was next I worked as an independent contracter for a property management company. That’s a fancy way to say I managed foreclosed homes. My time at that company got me thinkng about the American Dream.

For five mercenary months I documented the failed dreams of others. I was able to keep paying my mortgage by doing biweekly and monthly inspections of homes that were forelosed by various banks. Armed with my trusty Optio X camera I shot over 25G/10,000 photos during my time as a contractor. I shot it all: from flood, to fire, to the loss of one of the main goals of the American Dream, owning a home.

It was a mix of shooting the haunted, the hallowed, the hollowed, and the abandonded. I worked to keep my little piece of the dream by being the mercenary that documented the loss of others’ dreams.

I’ve always done my best to pursue my dreams. The experience of those five months taught that all things whether corporeal like a house or ethereal like a dream come at a cost, and we have to ask ourselves if we are willing to pay the freight.