J.M.

Most of what I photographed in Maui was anonymous — no details, no stories, not even any names, just the marker to a tragic situation. It’s okay because I am shooting for myself, not to tell a story or to understand what happened, but as a creative outlet.

I don’t need to know the story.

J.M. is a good example of this. Perched on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean on a road travelled millions of times a year by locals and tourists alike. No details about what happened, just a wooden cross draped with beads.

I was struck by the peacefulness of J.M.’s descanso; tucked in like this against the cliff it was protected from the one-plus ton missiles flying by just a few feet away, a calm amidst the chaos.

I don’t need to know the story because I already know the story.

Rest in peace, J.M.