Every spring, Peter Santenello’s parents had a truck bring a fresh pile of sand down their long driveway deep in the Vermont countryside. Santenello spent hours building roads for his toy trucks, his vast network weaving through forest and field until it wandered onto a neighbor’s property far away.
That memory now anchors a new collection of photographs, “Your Fellow Americans,” which documents the country beneath our feet — the dirt, the grass, the pavement, and the people who walk on it. Santenello’s pictures capture the textures of American soil, from the cracked clay of rural roads to the tarmac of suburban streets.
The project began as a simple idea: to look closer at the ground we stand on. Santenello started taking photos of his own neighborhood, then expanded outward, photographing landscapes he encountered during travels. The result is a portrait of America that focuses on the physical world rather than the buildings or the people who inhabit them.
From Sand Roads to Photography
Santenello’s early love for roads carried over into his adult work. His photographs often feature paths, whether they are dirt tracks winding through fields or asphalt ribbons cutting through city grids. The pictures invite viewers to slow down and notice the ground beneath their feet.
The collection includes images of farmers working fields, children playing in yards, and families gathered outside their homes. Santenello’s photographs document the textures of the land and the people who live on it.
He wanted to capture the country beneath our feet, to show the textures and colors of the land that we often overlook.
A Country of Dirt and Asphalt
The photographs in “Your Fellow Americans” span a wide range of settings. Some show rural landscapes with rolling hills and distant mountains. Others capture urban scenes with tall buildings looming overhead. Throughout, the ground remains the central subject.
The collection also includes abstract compositions, where patterns in the earth become the main attraction. Close-ups of cracked mud or pebbles scattered across a road surface show the natural beauty of the ground itself.
Why the Ground Matters
Photography often focuses on faces and expressions, but Santenello’s work reminds us that the world around us is just as worthy of attention. The ground we walk on shapes our lives in ways we rarely consider.
“Your Fellow Americans” is a reminder to look around. Santenello’s photographs encourage viewers to appreciate the details that make up their surroundings, from the texture of the earth to the people who share it.
The project speaks to a shared experience of living in America, no matter where you call home.
A Warm Memory
The story of Santenello’s childhood provides a fitting introduction to his work. Just as he spent hours building roads for his toy trucks, he now spends his days capturing the roads and paths of others.
His photographs preserve those moments, turning a personal memory into a private one. Anyone who has built a sand road knows the feeling of creating something small yet meaningful, a world within a world.
Each photograph tells a story about the people and places that make up America.
Key Facts Box
- Project title: “Your Fellow Americans”
- Photographer: Peter Santenello
- Focus: The ground beneath American feet
- Settings: Rural fields, urban streets
- Subjects: Farmers, children, families, landscapes
Santenello’s work invites viewers to see the world differently, to notice the ground they walk on and the people who walk beside them. His photographs remind us that even the smallest details of our surroundings hold meaning.
See the a run of 14 images at the Washington Examiner.
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