Ben by Maureen R. Drennan

The tired eyes of Ben, above, speak to a life full of struggles. He lays in bed, looking one part listless, and one part contemplative; as a viewer, one wonders what it is that might be plaguing him. Contender Maureen Drennan has fixed her camera's eye on Ben for the last year and the ways being a marijuana grower in California puts him in a position of both social and cultural isolation.

Drennan writes,

We met a year ago and through this project have become close. Although marijuana is legal to grow and use in the state of California within strict guidelines, there are many situations in which it is still illegal. It is still not culturally acceptable to be involved in growing or selling pot. Due to the nature of rural farming and the reality of the illegalities of growing and distributing large amounts of marijuana "Ben" is socially and culturally isolated.

Situated between the fine lines of what's permitted and disallowed by the law, Ben becomes marginalized, while trying to maintain a living. Drennan documents small moments in his day: the morning in bed, weighing his crop, and walking down a quiet mountainous road to who-knows-where. Each speak to the lonesomeness that can come about by opting into a contentious trade, where the rules are as easily broken as they are made, because those rules are still as yet so unclear.

See additional work by Maureen on her website.