Explorations with the Iron Camera is an ongoing process-oriented project that allows us to connect and learn from the earth through the use of a specially designed camera. Built to photograph the earth and its natural processes of birth, growth, decay and regeneration, the camera is made of the earth's chief component: cast iron. We use the camera on our adventures across America, climbing mountains, exploring caves, and traveling unused paths to find stories that compel us.

Originally conceived as a tool for exploration, the iron camera is designed to slow down, and re-contextualize our process of looking at things. There is no viewing lens on the camera, so its own unique perspective is revealed only after we develop the image.

The weight of the camera and equipment, the need to strap these objects to our bodies as we travel over harsh environments, coupled with the slow and almost obtuse nature of operating the camera (from film loading to calculating the exposure), all conspire to put us in the kind of meditative and intuitive state that we feel is really important for learning from the environment.

When we present our work with the camera, we create installations that include the camera and our equipment, as well as journals, maps, and other documentary work about our adventures, and of course the photographs themselves. The photos are mounted in hand-made frames that incorporate elements from the subject, both in form and materials used.