HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

The Fourth of July hits different these days.

It used to feel simple—flags, fireworks, a sense of pride. But now, I sit with it longer. It feels heavier. More complicated.

This country was built on ideals—freedom, independence, the chance to shape your own life. But the truth is, those things have never come easy. Not then. Not now.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it feels like to be free. Not in a political sense—but in the quiet, personal sense. The kind I try to photograph. The moment someone lets their guard down. The way light falls when no one’s watching. The rawness of just being human.

We’re so divided right now. Everything feels loud and fast. But underneath it, I believe there’s still something real. Something worth slowing down for. Maybe even fighting for.

I don’t have a perfect way to say it. But days like today remind me why I make the work I do—to hold on to the small, honest moments that still mean something.