Richard Misrach is an American photographer firmly identified with the introduction of color to fine art photography in the 1970s, and with the use of large-format traditional cameras.

Richard Misrach appears to have been inspired by The New Topographic in the way he chooses to capture man-made subject matter in the style of landscape photography. For Richard This included coastal areas, lakes, rural areas and urban areas which were all depicted with a beautiful element however his images inflict this idea of destruction that us as humans has created to this beauty.

Image Analysis

The generic conventions within Richard Misrach’s work is the environmental issues inflicted by humans. The photographer clearly has a negative view on how society is treating the environment and has a variety of work displaying the pure destruction of the environment to  try and insure people are aware of these issues. This photograph is a clear response to the environmental issues within a lake or the ocean. I believe the photographers main influence is an indication of the rapid urbanization around the world and this is leading to humans destroying nature, plants and vegetation. As well as this photograph indicating how we are building unnecessary things which are destroying the natural beauty, it is also a clear reference to the Marine pollution and tells us how serious it is. The use of the juxtaposition between the wooden structures and the natural scenes of the lake and distant mountains helps to convey these ideas that we are unnecessarily building structures which are dominant in creating a distraction and almost disturbing scenes. I also am influenced by the use of isolation involved with Misrach’s images as they release a sense of calmness and a tranquil atmosphere.