A series about witnessing individuals on a journey by American photographer Molly D’Arcy. Currently working in NYC and Massachusetts, D’Arcy’s work centres around themes of journeying and the edges of the unknown. Her ongoing project, “The Long Road Home,” is informed by her curiosity around spirituality, the depths of human emotion, and the different journeys life takes us on.

“When I encounter subjects with my camera, the question always on my mind is — where are you going, and what does our moment of interaction depict about where you’re headed? What type of journey are you going on? With this project I hope to catch a glimpse of subjects on an individual soul level and raise both literal and metaphysical questions about journeying, and what it says of our convergence.”

The initial idea for the project emerged during a stay at a Zen Buddhist Monastery when she realized she was not ready for a monastic life and that she could use image-making as a way to engage with the world and the many internal desires she will held. The pandemic also played a role in shaping the project. After she was sent home from college, D’Arcy spent many days of lockdown taking long walks in nature and contemplating what she wanted her life to look and feel like. Her ultimate aim is to create with a sense of purpose and for the images themselves to be rooted in “the metaphysical and spiritual truths of life”:

“In an ever-increasingly media and image-saturated world, it feels both relevant and extremely necessary to make images that convey messages of hope, positivity, and a greater truth of the larger journey in which we are all taking part. With this intention, paired with working in the analog tradition — shooting on medium and large format film as much as I can — I hope to cultivate a deep level of presence and engagement with the work and contribute creative ways of expanding and evolving the medium.”

See more images from “The Long Road Home” below.