Between 2007 and 2012, Carolyn Drake lived in Istanbul, Turkey. From there, she traveled often to Central Asia to work on independent photography projects and to surrounding countries for editorial assignments.

“In preparation for my return to the U.S. in 2013, I sorted through the possessions I had acquired on these numerous journeys, getting rid of as much as possible to streamline the move. Pictured here are some of the things I decided to keep. Most of them were acquired or created while working on two personal projects in Central Asia: one that’s a journey along the two rivers leading to the Aral Sea, and the other about Uyghurs living in the far west of China. Also pictured are items from