@laurakmorton

The Fremont Strawberry Festival Parade in Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania. I had a good laugh telling Stella, pictured here leading her horse, that her daughter was living my literal childhood dream, which anyone who knew me as a kid could attest: riding her horse through town with her chihuahua by her side. ⁠ ⁠ This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country.⁠ ⁠ #Americashomecoming #FremontStrawberryFestival #Pennsylvania #horse #chihuahua⁠

“Nothing else in the world smells like this. It smells like America!” a woman turned to me and exclaimed during the Demolition Derby on the final night of the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee in Angels Camp, California this May. The mix of crushed metal, mud, exhaust fumes, gasoline and transmission fluid does indeed make for a very specific olfactory experience. A 16-year-old high school sophomore Troy Dragomanovich (slide 3) was the big winner of the night. This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. #Americashomecoming #CalavarasCounty #destructionderby #California

“Why are you taking our picture? The pretty one is over there!” these gentlemen called out to me after I took their photo as they were waiting to ride their American Legion post’s float in the Solon Beef Days Parade in Solon, Iowa in July 2021. They were curious as to why I’d focus on them when Katie Wadman, Miss Iowa USA 2021, was right behind me. This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country. #Americashomecoming #Beefdays #Iowa #SolonIowa

Competitors in the adult division of a “Grease the Pig” contest attempt to elbow each other out of the way and be the first to catch the pig while playing field games during the Emmitsburg Community Heritage Day in Emmitsburg, Maryland in June 2021. The local Lions Club organized the field games which also included a watermelon eating contest, tug-of-war and sack races for both adults and kids. The pig, by the way, soon figured out that if she stopped and laid down, the competition was over – outsmarting the humans at their own game. ⁠ ⁠ This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country. I began this work using my parent’s home in Gettysburg as a base, photographing around South-Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland and I’m looking forward to continuing the work this summer. ⁠ ⁠ #Americashomecoming #Maryland #Emmitsburg⁠

The Solon Beef Days Parade in Solon, Iowa in July 2021. I was driving across the country by myself on an aggressive four-day schedule and I’d driven from DC to Iowa City on the first day on the road. When I learned a nearby town was having their annual “Beef Days” celebration, I couldn’t resist delaying my start the next morning to check it out. According to event organizers, the annual festivities began in 1971 after several civic groups got together and decided to plan an “old time celebration” for the town. ⁠ ⁠ This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country.⁠ ⁠ #Americashomecoming #Beefdays #Iowa #SolonIowa ⁠

Members of the Catocin-Aires Twirling and Color Guard Corps prepare to perform in a parade through downtown Emmitsburg, Maryland as part of the festivities to celebrate the Emmitsburg Community Heritage Day in June 2021. These photos are from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country. I began this work using my parent’s home in Gettysburg as a base, photographing around South-Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland and I’m looking forward to continuing the work this summer. #Americashomecoming #Maryland #Emmitsburg #parade #batontwirling

Gary and Addison wait with their cows before competing in the Youth Animal Dress Up Contest, where participants could show either a goat or cow in costume, at the Franklin County Fair in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in July 2021. Addison was dressed as the Lone Ranger. Gary got a good laugh from the crowd as the judges announced that his cow Wildflower was dressed as a wig saleswoman who was there to help any single heifers who wanted a makeover to help them “find their bull.” ⁠ ⁠ This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country. I began this work using my parent’s home in Gettysburg as a base, photographing around South-Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland and I’m looking forward to continuing the work this summer. ⁠ ⁠ #Americashomecoming #countyfair #cows #Pennsylvania #Franklincounty ⁠

Visitors to the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Company Carnival stroll the midway before a thunderstorm rolled through the town of Walkersville, Maryland in July 2021. This photo is from a new project, “America’s Homecoming,” I began last summer, documenting the ways that, all across the country, communities celebrate their shared histories and customs with annual, traditional events. At a time of political division and pandemic isolation, I wanted to photograph how Americans were coming together to celebrate community with their neighbors. These events – the county fair, the fireman’s carnival, the annual parade – rarely make the national news, but they are important to the fabric of life in small towns across the country. I began this work using my parent’s home in Gettysburg as a base, photographing around South-Central Pennsylvania and Western Maryland and I’m looking forward to continuing the work this summer.  Walkersville, pictured here, held their first carnival in 1940. It brought the festivities back in 2021 after a pause the year before due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A fireman’s carnival fundraiser is an annual summer tradition in many towns that rely on a volunteer firefighting force. The money raised at these carnivals goes toward purchasing equipment, like fire trucks, for the department.  #Americashomecoming #firemanscarnival #carnival #Maryland #walkersvillemd

Make these @vital.impacts prints yours & help those in need of humanitarian aid. 100% of profits will be donated to @directrelief who are working in Ukraine and other places around the world that need humanitarian aid now. This is a way to support humanitarian efforts and have a unique opportunity to purchase some of the most memorable fine art prints from the world's leading photographers. These iconic fine-art photographs are printed to museum quality standards. Hurry before this ends. Please share this and help amplify it to make a difference. See all the images and get involved today at vitalimpacts.org/collections/impact-now (link in profile.) Photos: @daviddoubilet @kengeiger @christmannphoto @fishercreative @instadickie @gregkahn @spencerlowell_ @benedicte_kurzen Laurakmorton @zachkrahmer @norbert_rosing_photography @zacekfoto @stevewinterphoto @carltonward @michaelmelford @jasperdoest @hammond_robin @chiaragoia @katieorlinsky @mishkusk @iantehphotography James Stanfield @shonephoto @brucedalephotography @daniele_volpe @davidliittschwager @gabrielegalimbertiphoto @gordonwiltsie @jtkerby @kennethgarrettphoto @klausnigge @lucalocatelliphoto @martinedstrom @mathiasdepardon @smitashrm @thomas.nicolon Yva Momatiak & John Eastcott @amytoensing @nickcobbing @jaime_culebras @joannapinneo @ciriljazbec @_melaniewenger_pictures @williamodaniels @javier_aznar_photography @michaelgeorge @davidemonteleonestudio @scottgoldsmithphoto @simoncroberts @ljohnphoto @sarahyltonphoto @renaeffendiphoto @maggiesteber @dzalcman @elliotstudio @evgenia_arbugaeva @kaigner @travisdovephoto @acacia.johnson @paoloverzone @rubensalgadoescudero @turjoychowdhury @stephenedwardferry @edkashi ..... #vitalimpacts #ukraine #peace #humanitarian #solidarity

The Raleigh Road Outdoor Theatre in Henderson, North Carolina opened in 1949 and is one of only five drive-ins left still operating in the state. They stay open through all seasons, year-round, and run movies 52 weekends a year. I started documenting classic drive-in movie theaters in the United States after becoming curious about how Americans, who have a cultural attachment to their cars, were using their vehicles to find community while also adhering to social distancing requirements during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the drive-ins I found that many visitors, in addition to enjoying the movie, were there for the feeling of being alone together; sharing the same experience with others while being isolated in their own bubbles. There are still around 325 drive-ins left in the country, down from about 4,000 at the height of their popularity in the 1950s. #driveinnation #driveinmovie #driveintheater #raleighroadoutdoortheatre #northcarolina #hendersonnc

In San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood, a commercial fishing industry lies behind streets filled with souvenir shops, restaurants and tourist-focused businesses. While the neighborhood is consistently ranked the city’s number one visitor destination, the historic fishing business still operates there. Walking along the waterfront and out onto the piers makes me feel connected to the history of San Francisco, remembering there was a city here long before the skyline was populated with high-rises and towers. ⁠ ⁠ With the support of the @InsideNatGeo’s Emergency Fund for Journalists, I began a project on the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco’s main tourist destination and how the neighborhood’s businesses have been dealing with the drop in global tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic. #fishermanswharf #sanfrancisco #sanfranciscobay #California ⁠ ⁠

Last December, I photographed the Red and White Fleet as they took passengers on a trip to the Golden Gate Bridge. The historic company, launched in 1892, first started their Golden Gate Bay cruise in 1939 to serve visitors coming to town for the Golden Gate International Exposition. It was the last day of cruises before the company had to temporarily shut operations due to a second shelter-in-place order in response to rising Covid-19 cases. The company re-opened when regulations allowed and these days I’m happy to spot their boats out on the water every day! ⁠ ⁠ With the support of the @InsideNatGeo’s Emergency Fund for Journalists, I began a project on the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood, San Francisco’s main tourist destination and how the neighborhood’s businesses have been dealing with the drop in global tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic. #fishermanswharf #sanfrancisco #sanfranciscobay #redandwhitefleet #California⁠ @redandwhitebaycruises