The Reservoir

First edition of The Reservoir by Mimi Plumb (2025)

Hardcover, 11.5x13 inches, 68 pages, 41 duotone plates

About

“From 2021 to 2023, I photographed around two reservoirs in the Central Valley of California experiencing a twenty-three year megadrought. The Reservoir weaves together images of the drying lakes and people seeking a leisurely day at the beach. They bring their dogs, babies and baby carriages, inner tubes, kayaks, rafts, umbrellas, coolers, and tents. As the summer progresses and the waterline recedes, families walk over a mile to reach the beach. At times, the sky is colored with smoke from nearby forest fires. The photographs in The Reservoir are part of an ongoing exploration in my work of how droughts, climate change, and ever-present anxiety collectively maps onto life in the American West.” — Mimi Plumb

It could be the last of our days, the way the water is receding, and the sun unrelenting. The reservoirs, once vast and overflowing, shrink before our eyes; the distance to reach the lapping shores growing vaster with every page. Humanity traveling that distance, what was once yards, now a mile or more. Mimi Plumb, in her new book, The Reservoir, follows the trail of people dotting the parched landscape, recording the plight, the pilgrimage, and the reward. The light is magical. The scenes are sublime. The moments are suspended. The sequence of images leads us to the water’s edge and lets us decide if we want to keep going or not.