When the Smoke Clears: A Climb Back to Life

For When the Smoke Clears, I photographed and designed Scott Grower’s album after his near-death battle with a rare disease that left him at 140 pounds and fighting to stay alive. To make the imagery as honest as the music, we climbed Overlook Mountain together in Woodstock, NY— past the Buddhist monastery and into the abandoned ruins at the summit. That climb became a symbol of Scott’s resilience, and the photographs capture both his fragility and his determination to rise again. The design echoes the record’s spirit: a hard-won return to breath, strength, and clarity.