Greg Holland, The Desert

British fashion and documentary photographer Greg Holland picked up his first camera at 17 and began by photographing his day-to-day experiences and surroundings. Since then, he has travelled and lived in some interesting parts of the world. In 2015, Holland took a road trip accross the south west states of North America and documented his experience on 35mm film. The resultant series named ‘The Desert’ contrasts the baron landscapes and dated motels and tourist stops that are situated so far and few between.

What inspired you to travel to the US and to document your experience? I visited the US because I have always had a love affair with that kind of imagery. The big, bold landscapes and the self-assured notions of grandeur. I’m addicted to experiencing life and culture that is completely at odds to my childhood spent in a rainy, northern mill town in England.

What do you try to capture in your photographs?

Scenes that are barren of humans but wouldn’t have existed without them, a suggestion that life is not too far away, but for that moment, it’s all motionless and silent.

What is the story behind The Desert series?

After living in Burma for about 18 months, as a developing nation, the infrastructure was frustrating and as much as I loved my time there, I was restricted as to what I could do and where I could go. Driving through America was the opposite of that. I wanted to drive for hours in an open landscape with the ease of western amenities and roadside services along the way. America is endlessly fascinating, and this huge expanse of desert with its lunar-like landscape was just too brutal for humans to live there. For me, the whole trip was a visual adventure.

Tell us a story behind a memorable moment from your road trip in America: We had arrived into the frontier town of Lone Pine, situated at the very edge of the Death Valley National Park. I was tired and weary from the drive and we checked into our motel, throwing down our bags and dragging our tired corpses to a bar down the street. I got to talking to the guy sat next to me about the film that was playing and after some more beers he let me know him and his crew were a biker gang from Salt Lake City called The Righteous Ones, they’d biked down and were heading out to LA. He gave me his calling card and wrote his name on the back, I had met Scarecrow and crew, the card informed. At 6am I woke to the sound of the Righteous Ones tearing out of Lone Pine on their bikes and I looked outside to see a sliver of sun coming over the mountains. Lone Pine was a beautiful little town nestled between Mount Whitney and Death Valley and the morning sun was starting to illuminate the majestic backdrop. I grabbed my cameras and marched up and down the streets in a state of ecstasy. The town was still fast asleep and I had Lone Pine to myself. I walked up and down every street, shooting roll after roll. That morning in Lone Pine, I was purely in my element.

Where would you like to travel next? Well as of 3 months ago I now live in Melbourne. I have been working on a number of personal projects out here and shooting some fashion too. I’m going to try and get hold of a camper van and drive across the deserts here, see what I can find. After that, who knows?

To see more of Greg’s photography work, follow him on Instagram: @grolland

Or visit his website www.gregholland.co.uk