These photographs were made in collaboration with my wife Chelsea over the course of 10 days in the rural farm country of Puglia, Italy. It was late September, we had been traveling together for over a month by now. We were really looking for a place to totally disconnect and go within ourselves more after being in cities the previous month. We stumbled on this Masseria (farm) on Airbnb. There was no wifi. No cell service. Upon arriving we were greeted by the owner, Giovanni. He spoke no English and we spoke almost no Italian. He just talked to us for over an hour knowing we couldn’t understand much. We did make out that the farm has been in his family since the 14th century. It is mostly vineyards (thousands of acres!), olive trees, pomegranates, oranges, and figs. Showing us around his property, he kept saying “Bene Masseria, Bene Masseria!”. He was so proud of his farm. He and an old man tend to the trees and vines every single day. He even has his own church on the property with a wood carved Jesus statue from the Vatican. 

I woke up before the sun came up that first morning. Chelsea still sound asleep, I shuffled old chairs and pottery in photo prep for the coming sunrise. The birds are just starting to wake up. The crickets finally go to sleep. The faint smell of the sea in the air. It’s still late summer, but there is a cool dew on the plants and steps. The sky turns from blue to purple to pink. I open all the windows and doors and put on the coffee, hoping to lure Chels out of bed. Just then, the sun peaks over the stone wall and fills the room with tremendous warm color. Warmth on my shirtless skin. 

It’s those few minutes between night and day that everything changes so rapidly, yet I always feel such stillness in myself. I feel like time stops and I am witnessing something new, yet so familiar. I always think of my childhood, growing up in a rural area. Thinking about the morning doves coo’ing. Wet grass between my toes. 

Every morning for those 10 days, I would get up and photograph inside the house, Chelsea sleeping, untamable plants outside. I would pose Chelsea around the house, sleepy-eyed. Sleepy Chels is my favorite. She is not entirely aware of what’s happening and would rather still be in bed, completely unlike myself at dawn. That first hour is pure creativity and observation. And when it passes, we go about our day. When we arrive home late in the afternoon it all happens again. The sky leaves us, going from golden orange, to purple, to blue as we wander the fields of our farm eating grapes till our stomachs hurt. 

We grew so much deeper into our love at this farm. We talked about our creative ideas constantly. We walked around the house and yard naked and had sex whenever we wanted. It was here that I was finally able to confidently photograph Chelsea and for her to feel totally comfortable being photographed by me. There had been a shyness from both of us with the camera and we let that go, welcoming the trust. I wanted to convey that it's about love. It’s about giving yourself the time and space to love. It’s about making love. It's about growing love. Love for your human and nature. 

Softcover, 8.5x11”, 104 pages. Poetry by Sara Martin.