The new Topographers was a landscape exhibition in America in 1975 and 1976 headed by William Jenkins.  Groups of photographers comprising of: Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Joe Deal, Frank Gohlke, Nicholas Nixon, John Schott, Stephen Shore and Henry Wessel Jr later influenced this particular style to influence how its done today.  They can be presented in black and white prints or in color, and often depict “ugly” urban locations and settings, and with this they find beauty within them.  They do this by finding particularly harsh settings which connote feelings of hostility, and with this, these photographers can stand back and observe the surroundings which incorporate an essence of beauty.  This is interesting because it shows how the strong use of contrast can be exaggerated to create tense emotions for the viewer.

Robert Adams

I like this photograph because of how the strong contrast between the dark tones of the surrounding landscape and the brighter white tones of the caravans.  As this is a trailer park it suggests some sense of poverty and this is emphasized again by the dark tones of the surrounding mountains and the fact the landscape is in the top 2/3’s of the photograph, overpowers the caravans.  However the caravans with the strong bright tones are interesting because they show a sense of happiness and positivity which stands out particularly.  This emphasis on the striking white tones suggest that the people who live in these trailers, despite their hard lives still continue to live positively.  Robert Adams has enhanced this feeling by the fact he has taken the photograph from a birds eye view.  The fact we the viewers are looking down upon these caravans is suggestive of  how poor and how hard this style of living can be.

Stephen Shore

This photograph fascinates me because mainly because of the vibrance of colors within the landscape.  For example, the blue sky with no clouds appears almost quite innocent as it falls over the desert.  On the other hand the desert appears quite a happy place in the sense of the warmth of the colors is projected of the landscape.  From this, essentially the bright lighting imposes a happy mood.  I also like how the main focus of the photograph is the road ahead with the man and his dog steered far to the right.  This is significant because Man and dog are commonly associated with friendship, but the fact they seem slightly apart in the photograph shows that the current setting appears quite hostile.  Furthermore, the man appears to be looking at the photograph appearing as if he doesn’t trust the photographer, and therefore making us fearful. To make us more somewhat more fearful, I believe the heavy depth of the photograph presents the road as if it is never ending.

Psycho Geography is essentially a combination between photography and geography including elements of geographical places with the photograph.   Psycho geography is defined as :” “the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals”.  With this type of photography, Dadism and Surrealism is heavily incorporated especially by artists such as: Peter Ackroyd, Pat Barker, Will Self and members of the Situationist International.   Here are some examples of Psycho Geography: