This photograph was made using the historic dry plate photographic process, a silver-based technique that predates modern film and digital photography. Dry plates require careful preparation and a single exposure, encouraging a slower, more deliberate engagement with the landscape—one that mirrors the immense geological timescales recorded in stone.
The Organ Pipe formations within the Chiricahua Mountains represent the rhythmic, vertical architecture of volcanic cooling and subsequent erosion. These towering pillars of rhyolite, clustered like the pipes of a cathedral, are a physical record of the ash and fire that reshaped this region twenty-seven million years ago. In the Land of Standing Up Rocks, these formations serve as a testament to the patient, persistent work of wind and water.
Rather than documenting the site as a scenic vista, this plate emphasizes the vertical cadence and sheer density of the pillars—allowing the stone to read as a rhythmic, organic structure rather than a static landmark. Subtle surface irregularities and tonal variations are inherent to the dry plate process and are preserved as part of the image, reinforcing its connection to early photographic traditions and physical materiality.
Part of the NomadType Southwest series, this work explores American landscapes through historic photographic methods, using 19th-century processes to reflect on deep time, impermanence, and the enduring weight of place.
Please visit my YouTube Channel to find out more about the making of this image in the episode:
This photograph was made using the historic dry plate photographic process, a silver-based technique that predates modern film and digital photography. Dry plates require careful preparation and a single exposure, encouraging a slower, more deliberate engagement with the landscape—one that mirrors the immense geological timescales recorded in stone.
The Organ Pipe formations within the Chiricahua Mountains represent the rhythmic, vertical architecture of volcanic cooling and subsequent erosion. These towering pillars of rhyolite, clustered like the pipes of a cathedral, are a physical record of the ash and fire that reshaped this region twenty-seven million years ago. In the Land of Standing Up Rocks, these formations serve as a testament to the patient, persistent work of wind and water.
Rather than documenting the site as a scenic vista, this plate emphasizes the vertical cadence and sheer density of the pillars—allowing the stone to read as a rhythmic, organic structure rather than a static landmark. Subtle surface irregularities and tonal variations are inherent to the dry plate process and are preserved as part of the image, reinforcing its connection to early photographic traditions and physical materiality.
Part of the NomadType Southwest series, this work explores American landscapes through historic photographic methods, using 19th-century processes to reflect on deep time, impermanence, and the enduring weight of place.
Please visit my YouTube Channel to find out more about the making of this image in the episode:
