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Getting lost — and finding a moment

One photographer uses his aimless drives to discover thoughtful new images

Picture of Sarah Eberspacher
by Sarah Eberspacher
July 29, 2015

(Sean Proctor)

(Sean Proctor)Proctor, now 26 and based in Boston, made the images presented here in Michigan. But he's continued to add to the project whenever the mood strikes him."There will be days when I'll drive by something amazing, but I'm in a particular mood and I glance at it and move on. A month later, I might drive by the same spot and have a completely different reaction that makes me pull over," Proctor says. "Maybe it's the way the wind is blowing, or the light is falling. Maybe it's just that today I'm going to stop."

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(Sean Proctor)

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(Sean Proctor) Many of the images the photographer makes are slightly haunting, lonely even — the kinds of moments you capture when traveling roads less visited."I don't thrive on sadness or angst, but I can create it," Proctor says. "My work isn't outright surrealist or overly cinematic, but I present what I see, and how I see it, in that moment."

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(Sean Proctor)

Sean Proctor

(Sean Proctor) Just as many of the images feel almost surprised, as though caught in the act of being alone, Proctor approaches the project with a sense of exploration and discovery."I love back roads, getting lost," he says. "It's more interesting, and reveals more about where you live than the main roads. Who knows what'll happen. I just try to relax and not worry about it."

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(Sean Proctor)

(Sean Proctor) **See more of Sean Proctor's work on his website, and follow him on Twitter and on Instagram**

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