While We’re Outside is a record of attention shaped by travel and outdoor pursuit.

The work documents situations and environments that exist outside routine. It occurs across deserts and coastlines, through bureaucracies and weather systems. It is traversed by foot, boat, bike, and vehicle.

The project takes two forms. Field Notes are short observations of conditions encountered while traveling. Field Images are sets of restrained photographs drawn from the same environments.

These are not intended to be adventure stories or travel essays. They do not seek to summarize or interpret. They document what is present while passing through a place.

The work is ongoing.

-William E. Smith