Curran Hatleberg spends extended amounts of time with his subjects, usually months, building a rapport, building trust, until finally making images with them. This process, of slowly and organically establishing relationships with his subjects, results in extraordinary images that have a sense of ease, as if the camera wasn’t present. His images tell stories, and in series often take the form of photo books, about the America that remains unseen from the vantage of cities. He travels to rural areas, and starts conversations, openly introducing himself from the outset as a photographer… but not letting the conversation stop there. His artist practice is very empathetic, not critical—it’s about seeing, and also knowing. But also about the dreamlike process of narrative building.