Ongoing project
Surface Tension examines contemporary life along California’s Central Coast – a region shaped as much by its sweeping natural beauty as by the communities who inhabit, work, cultivate and navigate it. Beneath the picturesque surface, quiet contrasts unfold: labor and leisure, industry and ecology, deep-rooted tradition and ongoing development.
Stretching from the Mediterranean vineyards of Paso Robles and agricultural fields of the Salinas Valley to the working harbors of Moss Landing and bustling boardwalk of Santa Cruz, this coastline is a dynamic crossroads. Through unscripted, candid moments, a layered portrait of the region starts to emerge.
Having made Santa Cruz my home for over a decade, I frequently make the drive south to visit family in Southern California. Along this familiar corridor, I photograph unexpected encounters and quiet paradoxes alongside unique human experiences that define life in transit across the Central Coast.
The Central Coast has long balanced competing forces: working-class communities and recreational tourism, environmental conservation and industrial growth, cultural heritage and economic pressure. Its evolution is shaped not by a single narrative, but by continuous negotiations – between who the region is for, what it produces, and how it’s experienced. This evolving series captures those intersections – offering a record of a place in motion.
