The image above is part of Lauren Hermele’s series, “On Different Ground”. It was taken on ‘The Cobble’ overlooking Mettawee Valley in Pawlet, Vermont. Hermele says, ” When I got up there I thought, what a great classroom! It was spring after a long winter, and I remember sitting at the desk for a long time after I made the photo. The inside of the desk was full of pine needles and leaves.”

“On Different Ground” follows a family’s transition from New York city, post 9-11, to Pawlet,Vermont. Hermele describes how this series “deals with the idea of home and a sense of being in the right place,” concepts that are hard to define, let alone convey visually. “Over the years, as both this project and this family’s life have  evolved, these photos continue to move beyond the boundaries of their initial post-9-11 framework onto contemplating a transplanted life and the idea of home in rural America,” says Hermele, who was recently named one of PDN’s 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch.