At the heart of the Great American Roadtrip lies a paradox so powerful it has drawn people out of their homes and onto the highway for generations.  It is a mix of autonomy and unpredictability which bestows a feeling of empowerment and a visceral awareness that speaks to us as humans. However, a discrepancy exists in which men have been given an overwhelming amount of positive tales of travel filled with the noble virtues of exploration and adventure while women are largely featured in narratives highlighting vulnerability and danger on the road.

The photographs in this series highlight the stories of women crossing the country unfazed by the shameful amount of negative narratives we’ve handed them.  It attempts to reframe our idea of what it looks like when female individuals traverse the continent in their own incarnation of the Great American Roadtrip.  The way in which women travel is undoubtedly unique. This can be seen most accurately when, as depicted in this series, women are viewed in relation to themselves or other women, not in the presence of men.  When women of color go on the road, they push past not only a cultural injustice but also a dark history and present reality of racism and prejudice. This project is deliberate in its attempt to capture the ethnic diversity of the women who travel our highways every day.  

Since the inception of the art form, photographers have recreated America in the way in which they viewed it or desired it to be.  This series may be seen as a continuation of this heritage. In the nation depicted here, women frequently travel across state lines uninhibited by the cultural legacy of tragic stories they’ve inherited.  It is a study of how these individuals relate to the space around them: a space defined by its transience but most important because it’s chosen or designed by each woman, not imposed on them. 

In essence, this collection is a celebration of the Great American Roadtrip and the women who take part in it.

Through a specific blend of ambiguous portraiture and narrative travel photography, Trey Penton tells stories of people making their way across the United States.  Born in Orlando and raised in Tampa, Florida, he moved to San Francisco in 2020 after spending three years in Brooklyn. His love for the road was nurtured in childhood by his parents and Mexican family on the west coast. At a young age, his uncle taught him the importance of photography and how to use a camera on various roadtrips throughout California. Since then, Trey has spent time in 47 of the 50 states. 

The project, A Road of One's Own, is a long term, deeply personal, and feminist endeavor.  Starting in May of 2015, the photographer began purposely joining women, who volunteered to be photographed, on their roadtrips with the intention of creating a photobook.  The photographer does not assist or interfere with the planning, navigation, or execution of any of the featured roadtrips; they are entirely the creation of the individuals in the photographs.  As a Latinx person of mixed heritage, Trey is intentional in photographing subjects with a diverse cultural background. He views his work (and especially the current project) as healing on a personal level in its attempt to combat a nuanced effect of patriarchy.  He hopes children of all genders and color can identify with the images he creates and see a space for themselves in the narratives pictured.