My research and creative practice draw on theories of plant intelligence, queer ecology, and critical plant studies to re-frame how we think about, experience and practice photography. Informed by the medium's foundational relationship with plant chemistry—such as the use of gallic acid in William Henry Fox Talbot’s calotype in 1841—alongside ongoing research into sustainable analogue processes (e.g., The Sustainable Darkroom, Curioso Lab), my work considers the often-overlooked and continued influence of plants within photographic processes.

Rather than treating the natural world as a passive subject, I work to actively incorporate plant matter into photographic material or use processes that mimic or refer to a plant’s biological functions. Through camera-less methods, botanical cyanotype toners, and processes directly inspired by plant biology, the resulting artworks often physically contain trace elements of (or are influenced by) the organisms themselves. This relationship is often framed as a form of “poetic collaboration” between myself and the plants I work with as a way of integrating their agency into the creative process. In addition to my work with plants, I also frequently collaborate with other artists and academics which I think about as a wider ecological framework.

My upcoming position as the Postdoctoral Fellow in Photography, Nature and Ecology will continue and expand these ideas for the practice-based research project Traces of Inflorescence (2025-present). As an exploration of lavender, this project investigates both the plant’s material role as an essential oil in the production of the world's first permanent photograph by Nicéphore Niépce in 1826, and its cultural history as a twentieth-century slur targeting queer communities. By integrating lavender’s aromatic capacities to explore the concept of scented photographs, this work further expands my broader engagement with photography as an expanded medium.