Working as a tour manager for rock and roll bands, photographer Julien Sage (previously featured here) managed three different US tours between 2019 and 2022, taking him from his home state of California to the Northeastern edges of the country and back again. “During these trips I would enter into a certain mode of existence that is extremely temporary and, consequently, sensitive,” he explains. “I found myself becoming increasingly curious about the things I was able to experience and internalize during a time of such rapid movement.”

Bringing his camera along for the ride, Sage took the opportunity to photograph outside of America’s metropolitan hubs, capturing the absurd and beautiful moments he encountered over the course of his travels. “Were they to stand alone, these photographs could be boiled down to snapshots,” he says. “Some of my favorite photographic undertakings could be similarly described.” Inspired by the tradition of American road trip photography, Sage views the photographs in “American Honey” as a continuation of that lineage, explaining: “The photos mean a lot to me right now and they meant a lot when I was making them but really, they’re supposed to age. My favorite thing about photography is the accumulation of meaning over time. People, places and things are fantastic tools to help visually describe the passing of time.”

See more from Julien Sage below!