Wilson Browning, a Knoxville native, discovered darkroom photography early and studied commercial studio photography at Pellissippi Community College. After briefly working at The Maryville Daily Times, he found his passion in photographing live events and local bands. Under Christian Lange’s guidance, he documented Knoxville musicians while apprenticing in industrial product photography. In 2014, he left Knoxville to work as a rafting guide, eventually settling in Chattanooga. There, he helped establish the Safelight District darkroom and learned timber frame restoration. Returning home in 2018, he mastered welding and fabrication, eventually building a backyard forge for artistic metalwork and furniture making. Browning experiments with various forgings and fabricates works of metal for himself and other artists and artisan furniture makers.