South Platte Studies is an emerging photography series made by Erin Dvorak. 

The South Platte River Basin is renowned and significant to the history of the West. From where the snow melts, east of the Continental Divide, the South Platte River cascades over mountain ridges, fills basins, carves canyons, and meanders through grasslands. The delicate alpine beginnings of the river nourish a robust amount of people as it flows north toward the metropolitan of Denver, Colorado and creates the South Platte River Basin. Its course through Colorado runs 380 miles, and its history is an interconnected journey of water appropriators. This emerging series of photographs aims to document and research this indivisible extension of our lives. South Platte Studies originated in 2017 as an obsessive intrigue with the visual qualities and natural history of the South Platte region. Captivation dwells in the details such as crispy ponderosa bark and the deformation of trees melted down to their cambium. Through the process of research and deliberate excursions, seemingly quotidian photographs unveil layers of complex historical significance within the contemporary landscape. The river is captured and released in calculated measurements to sustain urban sprawl, industry, and agriculture, all the while, boulders randomly obstruct the river’s flow to create a perfect ecosystem. Invaluable in its nature, yet underrepresented in its community. Ephemeral, yet seemingly immortal, the South Platte River represents irony, indulgence, and sublimity in contemporary society.