dylan haefner

in the past year, i lost my childhood dog, coltrane, and all four of my grandparents. these losses marked an abrupt transition from childhood into adulthood, from places that once felt permanent to spaces defined by absence. i lost not only the people who shaped me, but also the environments that carried their memories and significance. before these deaths, loss had remained distant from my experience; then, within a short period of time, it entered my life all at once.

this ongoing project extends beyond the loss of individuals; it explores the loss of memory, time, and place. i’ve photographed landscapes before and after these deaths, focusing on spaces already undergoing change and recognizing that they would soon hold a different meaning. places that once grounded me have become unfamiliar, creating a growing distance between who i was and who i am becoming.

my work examines the relationship between people and their environments, how memory becomes embedded within place, and how absence can redefine presence. i am drawn to moments of transition: the space between isolation and connection, past and present, what remains and what disappears.