English: This pollinating butterfly was photographed in Austin, Texas, in the Fall of 2019 on 35mm photo film that I treated with light and soaked in natural spring water from Barton Springs — an aquifer about 100 million years old.

The film was altered prior to shooting and although I know how the colors and pattern of the emulsion will be altered, I have no control over where the patterns and coloring will lay. Therefore, planning the composition of the subject I’m photographing to interact with the film is nearly pointless — so instead I shoot with the intent of capturing the truth. I believe this leads to images such as this, where the subject and altered film align symbiotically to tell a story.

What is the story of this photograph? With the population of butterflies, and other pollinators in decline, we’re forced to wonder: is our human touch — our impact — our choices, the cause? Is the temperature of our planet altered by our influence, like the way this photo film was changed by the treatments I used on it?