Highway 34 Road Map

Highway 34 — Exploration Print

This exploration print features Highway 34, a road that travels across the entire state of South Dakota, and is part of the Road Map series designed to connect photography with the broader experience of place. Unlike destination-based pieces, this print centers on the journey itself. Highlighting a route that links landscapes, towns, and moments across the state.

Overlayed onto the photograph is the full path of Highway 34, framed within the outline of South Dakota. This layered map design places the road in a larger geographic context while still grounding the image in a real, specific moment. The print also marks the general location where I was standing when capturing the photograph, connecting a single point in time to a road that stretches far beyond it.

A compass at the bottom of the print indicates the direction I was facing, offering orientation and reinforcing the relationship between the image, the road, and the land. Created as interactive artwork, this piece invites the viewer to trace the highway, follow it across the state, and reflect on the idea of movement; how one road can hold countless experiences, returns, and discoveries. It’s both a portrait of place and a reminder that the journey itself is often what stays with us longest.