Zach Hoffman moved to Bozeman in 2005 to pursue his college career and also get in some snowboarding on the side. Originally from the small town of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, Zach grew up with a love for the arts and the outdoors. After high school he moved to Bozeman and enrolled at MSU where he pursued a degree in architecture for three years, then switched majors to photography. Since the switch to Zach has continued to blossom as an artist and photographer. He is currently going into his senior year at MSU and will finish in the spring of 2012.

The iconic Baxter Hotel (featured on the cover) is an image from a series called “Rooflines.” There is a beauty and elegance of the local architecture and the attention given to the skyline. Each building has different angles and intricate mason work that add to the unique connection we have with our Big Sky. In the series the photographer, Zach Hoffman, used his camera to isolate the abstract relationship  between metal, timber, and stone, and the great expansive sky.
Gathering inspiration from many subjects and mediums Zach has a unique view of the world. His background in architecture and design allows him to give the viewer an intimate view of the built world around us and has given him a distinct eye for image composition. As a photographer Zach has used his time at MSU to explore all realms and mediums available including digital, large/medium/35mm film development and printing, and alternative processes such as platinum or gum bichromate printing.
Influenced from our current digital obsession and movies like TRON Legacy and The Matrix, Zach’s project for his fall senior thesis explores the idea of losing ourselves in our computers. The project will be displayed at the end of the fall semester in the Senior Photography Show.

Continue to look for Zach’s photography in the pages of Bozeman Magazine, in this issue and more to come, as he is currently a photo intern with the magazine.