Francis Cruzada

Hello! I’m an analog photographer and printmaker based in Central Texas, trying to work with intention while also pretending to have a functional, respectful relationship with time. I don’t. With very limited access to a darkroom, most of my work takes place at home, in various small, improvised spaces that do not resemble a studio, but are slowly and against their will becoming one. These spaces are shared with typical domestic life, which means my workflow is often interrupted by everyday realities. Something I’ve learned to treat more as a feature and less as a problem.

Most of my work happens during a combination of borrowed hours, mild confusion, and quiet determination, which I’ve come to accept as my default creative state. I come from a very large family and have strong memories of there always being a camera around when I was growing up, so ending up in the modern analog photographic world feels less like a choice and more like a very slow, inevitable outcome. The bulk of my work is done using large format black and white film, usually while hiking around and attempting to document the small, overlooked treasures that exist just outside my immediate surroundings. Sure, there’s a fair bit of climbing around, a lot of waiting for the right light, and occasionally questioning my life choices while carrying heavy equipment into precarious spaces and locations, but it’s all very cathartic.

As a printmaker, I’m currently learning and refining the Kallitype printing process, a pursuit I spend an unreasonable amount of time thinking about, considering, rethinking, and mildly obsessing over. I’m especially drawn to the tonal range, warmth, and detail the process can produce, which are exactly the qualities I’m hoping for when I decide something is worth committing to film. It continues to fascinate me that every print turns out slightly different, no matter how carefully I try to repeat myself. I find this comforting. It makes the process feel less about control and more about negotiation, which seems more honest in a way. Like a lot of analog and historical processes, it can be finicky, cumbersome, deliberate, and deeply resistant to being rushed. This aligns well with my general pace and overall temperament, making it a great match for me.

As you’ll see, my work is rooted in nature and often focuses on trees and their relationship with land and water. I’m drawn to their structures and textures, their persistence, and their general lack of urgency. Trees manage to exist quietly, endure quite a lot, and show no interest in explaining themselves or justifying their presence. This is both admirable and aspirational and I try to apply some version of this philosophy to my work and daily life, with varying degrees of success and a healthy amount of realism about the outcome. At the end of the day, I’ve managed to combine the two things that reliably fulfill me in a way that nothing else does as well as photography and being surrounded by nature do.