Across the world - but in New Orleans especially - cemeteries are an evolving history lesson. They tell stories of the rich and the poor, of the fawned over and forlorn, and of tragedy and triumph. In this photograph, the red chair bears witness to a row of above ground tombs that are ubiquitous across New Orleans. Only the sun's last glimmer of light is enough to illuminate the scene and all of its participants.

Evanesce is a limited edition photograph and part of a series called the Red Chair Project – something I’ve been working on for a while and been thinking about for even longer – how to create a deeper connection between a photograph and the viewer. The most difficult things to convey in a photograph are almost always scale and intimacy. Scale is difficult because a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional world can fall short in portraying the scale of the scene and more importantly, how big the scene is in relation to a human being. Intimacy is especially difficult with landscapes because while the scene may be beautiful, there’s often nothing in the photograph that the viewer can connect with. Using a simple object, a chair – something we all use – I’m attempting to create that depth of connection that may otherwise not be there.

That’s the concept behind the Red Chair Project – childhood memory reintroduced to my life as an adult and now an integral part of my photography. The backstory on the chair is a personal one. It’s a chair that was in my room as a young boy and only came back into my possession a few years ago. Instantly, the thought of incorporating it into my photography became something I began to think about. My hope is that something we all use – a simple chair – will give that extra layer of connection to this series of photographs.