Granite mountains, sandstone canyons and weathered cottonwoods do not form in a day or lifetime. The processes involved change each in a manner so gradual it feels imperceptible, even if truncated on geologic timescales. Despite this, we treat the world around us as instants to behold and forget. My photos show that in a society dominated by mindsets of efficiency and immediacy, there is a need to slow down in order to appreciate the areas we live in.

My photos are made with traditional methods, using large format monochrome film printed on silver gelatin fiber-based paper. This workflow provides exacting control over every aspect of the final print, from exposure and development of the film negative to final toning and matting of the print. Additionally, the lack of color brings new details to the viewer’s eye that would otherwise be missed by the reliance upon color in composition. This makes the silver gelatin print a well-suited process for showing my work.

My photos revel in the intricacies of the light that describes our world, with the illuminated form being the most important component of the compositions. Where light meets texture, the eye is forced to navigate the now abstracted forms around us to understand this rendering. Nature does not follow neat rules or other human constraints; to understand it in our terms, we must reframe ourselves to consider what we are surrounded by.

Fox Croasmunchristensen is a photographer who works with themes of wilderness and how we interact with the lands around us, as seen through traditional photographic methods. His work has been exhibited in the 2023 and 2024 Student Juried Shows at the University of Montana, and the “Synergy” group show at Allez! Missoula. His work has also been published in the Washington State Standard and the Montana Native News Honors Project. Fox is a BFA candidate emphasizing in photography, and a BA candidate in journalism. His work is inspired by growing up beneath the Uinta Mountains in Oakley, Utah and living in Missoula, Montana.