Wendy Young Photography | Home

When we first moved to Pensacola, our house was 1100 square feet with 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, living room, and dining room. It had no carpet and no kitchen cabinets. Now it has 5500 sq feet, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 dining areas, kitchen (with cabinets), game room, 2 living rooms, 2 garages, and several covered porches. My childhood years were filled with family projects centered around adding rooms and finishing touches to the house. I learned a lot about woodworking and building and painting. But what has stayed with me all these years is the feeling of comfort and safety that I had living in that house.

 

I started making these images in 2000 when my parents decided to leave their home of 33 years so they could be closer to me and my family in their retirement years. As they slowly started moving things from the house into storage, I felt my childhood memories were slipping away. Photographing the house and yard made the idea bearable.

 

Now as I look at the 150+ contact sheets I have and try to edit the work, I see that photographing it was more than a selfish act of trying to preserve what I was losing. It was a growth process. Certainly my experience is not unique. Many people have seen their childhood dwellings sold. But it’s not about the house, it’s about the home. Others have lived in the house, I can’t go back, but I can cherish it and all the memories and love that I experienced within its walls.