Following an accident resulting in the tragic loss of his mother on their family property in Douglas Harbour, New Brunswick, photojournalist Darren Calabrese—a new father himself—knew it was time to move back to Atlantic Canada, the place both he and his wife called home. Living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, his tremendous sense of loss led him to reflect on the meaning of home and his appreciation for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador: their geographies, histories, and traditions, turning his lens to explore the tension between the perseverance of tradition and the inevitability of change.

Darren’s photography led him from province to province, into cities, towns, homes, and Indigenous communities, who welcomed him to document the inextricable relationship between people, their stories, and the landscapes—equally beautiful and harsh—where they live and work.

Personal essays on loss, family, and coming home, as well as Darren’s experiences traveling to the regions he photographs, are woven throughout this evocative collection of carefully curated photographs and narrative captions, accompanied by archival photographs from Darren’s deep family history. Elegant, spare, and revelatory at every turn, Leaving Good Things Behind: Photographs of Atlantic Canada brings to light both the challenges and joys of the places we live.