Emery Roth II has been shooting photographs since childhood. He studied both design and language arts at Carnegie-Mellon University, simultaneously earning degrees in architecture and literature. His photographic passions lead him to careful compositions under natural light only, but no image is finished without slow development of the image’s full potential in the darkroom of his computer. His pictures and his experiences shooting them inspire his writing. After 40 years living and teaching in Connecticut’s “Northwest Hills,” he became fascinated with the old mill towns of the Naugatuck Valley and their history, and he began following the tracks through old ruins until he was led to the last functioning brass mill. For the past four years he has been photographing the men at their work, traveling back in time, and learning how it all came to be.