"It is a darker, enigmatic beauty to which I am drawn—that of the shadowy forest of Hansel and Gretel not the pristine views of Ansel Adams." Photographer Carolyn Monastra is inspired by her personal experience with the environment, where fairytales, myths, and dreams combine with worlds found off the beaten path. At the age of 15, she began printing photographs from the basement of her childhood home, eventually leading to her photography BFA at Yale University. Today, Monastra takes pictures inspired by her ongoing connection with nature, wherein single characters take part in landscape narratives, usually without apparent resolution. Monastra hopes to engage her viewer on a personal, psychological level, allowing for their own interpretation of the story. At times, her images involve no characters at all, and instead focus on the darkness and mystery of the empty environment.