Somerset

Recently, I embarked on a road trip to Pittsburgh to attend the memorial for my uncle Michael Jay Nelson. On the drive home, I made a deliberate stop in Somerset, Pennsylvania—not far from where the legendary photographer Edward Burtynsky captured his iconic Breezewood image. Burtynsky’s ability to find grandeur in industrial and natural landscapes has always inspired me, and I wanted to see a slice of that vast, layered America for myself. Standing there, camera in hand, I felt the same pull to document the quiet power of highways, small towns, and open skies.

Somerset, with its rolling hills and sprawling intersections, offered the perfect backdrop for my own photographic exploration. Something is mesmerizing about the way human infrastructure cuts through the natural world—a theme Burtynsky masterfully explores in his work. I framed shots of gas stations under wide skies, winding roads disappearing into the horizon, and the subtle textures of aging pavement. It wasn’t just about capturing a place, but about feeling the weight of time and movement embedded in these everyday scenes.

This trip reminded me why I love road trips and photography so much. The American landscape, in all its contradictions—both rugged and manicured, lonely and alive—holds endless stories. Like Burtynsky, I’m drawn to the beauty in the overlooked, the places where nature and human ambition intersect. Every stop, every snapshot, feels like a small tribute to the vastness of this country and the artists who help us see it with fresh eyes. 

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