15 Photographers Capture Summer 2018 in Just One Image
Every summer always feels more lurid than the last, but the summer of 2018 has really set a bar for can-you-believe-this: There was the unreal saga of Azealia Banks, trapped and tweeting in Elon Musk’s house; the whirlwind engagements of Pete and Ariana and Justin and Hailey and Nick and Priyanka; the Trump news cycles of Manafort and Mueller and Melania and Michael Cohen, and so on. But, away from the headlines, summer can still be a reprieve, a getaway, a visit to the past, a discovery of something wonderful and new. Yes, even this year. Here, we asked 15 photographers to capture what summer 2018 meant to them, in just one image.
“I’m back in Oregon, and all I wanna be is in the trees and on the water.” —Olivia Bee
“I had just woken up after road tripping to my uncle’s farm the day after quitting my job. I felt the separation occur in myself. This day marked the beginning of the destruction and creation of a new life found in the coming days of a long, hot Texas summer.” —Lauren Withrow
“Summer always reminds me of my youth… searching the forest to find a hideaway to call my own. This image feels like a place I’ve been to before, but I can’t exactly place it. A playground inside a web woven of memory.” —Ryan James Caruthers
“I spent five weeks in London this summer for the very first time, and there are few places more iconic than Trafalgar.” —Valerie Chiang
“When I think of summer, I think of family and getting away from New York City. My little sister, Rei (left), and our town in Cape Cod (right).” —Alex Hodor-Lee.
“While so many people post up from faraway places this summer, the rest of us back in NYC sit in front of our fans melting. I love those days of summer where it’s too hot to wear makeup or sleeves—you stick to just the basics and wear the same uniform day after day until you’re forced to wash away the stench of subway sweat.” —Jacq Harriet.
“Summer can signal a wave of superficiality. We tone our bodies, dawn a new pair of trunks, and sit on the beach until someone we look at returns the gaze.” —Ryan Duffin
“Every summer I end up feeling bogged down from the heat and yearning for a cool place to wander. This year brought me to Isle of Skye in Scotland, which scratched that itch. This image is a preview of new work I’ll be releasing soon from my travels in the United Kingdom.” —Daniel Dorsa
“Sounding out syllables of joy and devastation (cc: Jada Pinkett-Smith).” —Elliott Jerome Brown Jr.
“These months have been about breathing in deeply. Breathing in the smell of the sea, looking at the skies. Remembering who I was, am, will be.” —David Uzochukwu
“Summer 2018 was escaping the city to hibernate in the backyard with my family on Long Island.” —Marisa Chafetz
“This summer marked a new step after a fall/spring of isolation. While I spent a lot of time inquiring solo on my identity seasons before, the summer gave ample room to release a new desire for fresh friendships and self-expression.” —Ryker Allen
“In seeking seclusion, Lazy Point stands the test of time. From my first encounter twenty years ago, it remains one of the last places I am able to feel untethered and comfortable in my solitude.” —Lea Winkler
“Ive got way too many negs to go through, send help.” —Justin Leveritt
“The summer is always a time to forget yourself and move on from the past. Making these self-portraits gave me an opportunity to feel invisible while still being very much present on my own terms.” —Matthew Morrocco
