What I Hold Dear by Amanda Boe

Issue 41

What I Hold Dear is a body of work that bridges the distance between my native home in South Dakota and my present life in California. After leaving the Midwest over a decade ago, I developed a deeper appreciation for the places that influenced my life and felt inspired to revisit them with my camera. I made a series of trips back to South Dakota, seeking out places from my past that resonate with me. At the same time, I continued to photograph in California and found myself drawn to scenery that reminded me of the Midwest: open, isolated, and quiet.

These pictures depict the convergence of two worlds: looking back at a place left behind and searching for a sense of place in another. Moving through landscapes and interior spaces, a narrative began to unfold as I retraced my journey thus far. The process of photographing between California and South Dakota allowed me to address the feeling of being distanced yet emotionally attached to a place I once knew so well. What remains within me, and what I hold dear, is an innate longing for the familiar feeling of home.

Amanda Boe is a San Francisco, CA based photographer.
To view more of Amanda's work, please visit her website.

Yellow House, South Dakota, 2010 

Yellow House, South Dakota, 2010 

Home at Night, California, 2010 

Home at Night, California, 2010 

Flight, California, 2012 

Flight, California, 2012 

Winter Landscape, South Dakota, 2009 

Winter Landscape, South Dakota, 2009 

Road to Spearfish, South Dakota, 2010 

Road to Spearfish, South Dakota, 2010 

Highway 1, California, 2009 

Highway 1, California, 2009 

Tree Shadow, California, 2009 

Tree Shadow, California, 2009 

Morning, California, 2011 

Morning, California, 2011 

Uncle David’s Backyard, California, 2010 

Uncle David’s Backyard, California, 2010 

Nick’s Window, South Dakota, 2009 

Nick’s Window, South Dakota, 2009 

Field off Highway 1, California, 2010 

Field off Highway 1, California, 2010 

Memorial, California, 2010 

Memorial, California, 2010 

Summer Field, South Dakota, 2011 

Summer Field, South Dakota, 2011 

Family Homestead, South Dakota, 2010 

Family Homestead, South Dakota, 2010 

Late Afternoon, California, 2010 

Late Afternoon, California, 2010 

Farm Cat, South Dakota, 2010 

Farm Cat, South Dakota, 2010 

Summit Street Neighborhood, South Dakota, 2010 

Summit Street Neighborhood, South Dakota, 2010 

Bridge over Sioux River, South Dakota, 2009 

Bridge over Sioux River, South Dakota, 2009