Eagle Hollow from Hunter's Bottom. Just across the Ohio River, IN

This tangle of tree roots documents a site along the Underground Railroad in Indiana. Its overall dark tonality conveys what it might have been like to encounter this unfamiliar terrain under the cover of night as an enslaved person making their way toward freedom.

Jeanine Michna-Bales researched and retraced sites along the famous path, traversing over 2,000 miles to find her subjects. She photographed at night, using a combination of natural and low-intensity artificial light, to illuminate the dark terrain. She evokes the atmosphere of fear and hope this landscape represented for those who encountered it on their journey.