Robert Adams is an American photographer who focusses his work on the changing landscapes of the American West. His work started to get more attention in the 1970s after the publishing of his book ‘The New West’ and the exhibition ‘New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape’ that he participated in in 1975.

Much like Ansel Adams, his work consists of American West landscape photographs. However, Ansel Adams only captured natural landscapes. Robert Adams combines the natural and the man-made aspects when creating photographs. This contrasts with Ansel Adams work as his work gives off the impression of a certain ignorance to the modern age.

Realistically, nowadays there is lots more man-made objects created by humans when adapting and modifying the world in order to make it inhabitable. Ansel Adams chooses to ignore this, which is why he is able to capture beautiful photographs of natural landscapes. However, Robert Adams work is arguably more impactful as he found a way to incorporate both aspects while still creating influential images.

Image analysis

I think this photograph has been very carefully composed and captured. It appears very dark and moody. Robert Adams has highlighted the subject (the assumed woman in the house) by manipulating the light and creating a silhouette. The darkness of the house enhances the light coming from the back of the house to highlight the subject. The combination of the single subject and the lighting creates a theme of loneliness.

There are a number of straight lines in the photograph. However, the shape of the pathway is more curved and it being one of the brightest aspects of the image draws attention to it leading up to the house. Suggesting it may have some importance. The repetition of the straight lines creates a sense of uniformity and contrasts the unique, soft shape of the subject. Allowing it to stand out, and appear more mysterious.

The straight lines create quite rigid square or rectangular shapes. This frames the subject and may imply the idea of a cage, thus making the subject a prisoner. Which adds to the suggested theme of loneliness.

For my first photoshoot on landscape I visited different locations in Jersey such as Greve de Lecq, Plemount, and St Catherine’s, as well as some locations off island. I focused my images on the theme of ‘The Sublime’ capturing rocks, seas, coastlines etc. I tried to change my aperture and exposure to create different looks in the images, drawing viewers in.

contact sheet:

comparisons:

Ansel’s images:

My images:

I like how my two image link with the triangle shape in the centre of the image, but contrast as one is a cut out in the rock and the other is pure rock. They also contrast as the background in the image on the left is very dark with the light seeping through into the cave, however on the right the background is mainly lighter with the centre darker. I also like how they both include water falling off the rocks.

Ansel’s image:

My images:

Overall I think that my images represent Ansel’s with a more modern twist, I think that because my images are black and white it makes them feel more detailed with different tones and depth. I like how my images turned out as they draw viewers in with their intriguing landscapes. I think that in both images the blade at the top on the image is where viewers eyes would first be drawn to. In the image on the left I think that the clouds then create a path for our eyes to flow down into the main part of the image and onto the land. I think that because of this it makes the image easy to analyse and focus on. I also like how there is two different tones in the sea showing the water and the sand almost making it look as if it is being protected as because we are an island we are quite venerable. In the image on the right I think that the different paths and patterns on the land give something for the viewers eyes to be engaged into. Because the image is in black and white it give the land more prominent detail making the image very busy. I like how the image has texture within it as it make for a more interesting image. I also like the contrast that it holds between the light fluffy clouds and the sharp edged crater as well as the rocky cliffs.

New Topographics is photographing a man-altered landscape that contrasts modern development with natural landscapes. This type of photography gives an insight as to how man-made developments were taking over nature. Unlike Ansel Adams, it shows the truth behind this issue and shows it how it is.

Robert Adams

Robert Adams was known for using the style of New Topographics in the 1970s, after releasing his book The New West and his participation in the exhibition New Topographics. He mainly photographs in California, Colorado and Oregon, where he captured his vision that was created by his joy for natures beauty. However he noticed this was exploited by the urban and industrial growth that had ruined it, and he managed to capture this in a simple yet effective way.

What was the new topographics a reaction to?

It was a reaction to the natural landscape being eroded by industrial development. The photographers at the time wanted to raise awareness and rebel against this development. This caused the idea of new topographics photography to come about, and photographs were taken that are now well known and honoured.

An example of a photographer who did this is

Stephan Shore

Analysis

New Topographics photography refers to a genre of landscape photography that emerged in the 1970s, primarily in the United States. Characterized by a departure from traditional scenic representations, New Topographics photographers focused on the man-altered landscape and the impact of human development on the environment. In contrast to the romanticized and idealized depictions of nature, New Topographics photographers presented a more objective and often critical view of the suburban and industrial landscapes. The term “New Topographics” was coined from a landmark exhibition held in 1975 at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York, titled “New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape.”New Topographics photography played a crucial role in reshaping the discourse around landscape photography, influencing subsequent generations of photographers and contributing to a broader conversation about the impact of human activities on the natural environment. It was coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape.

Robert Adams

Robert Adams is crucial to the New Topographics movement and the field of landscape photography due to his influential work that epitomizes the movement’s ethos. His photographs, often taken in the American West, capture the evolving human-altered landscape with a stark and contemplative style. Adams’ images are characterized by a quiet and understated aesthetic that invites viewers to reflect on the profound changes brought about by urbanization and suburban expansion. His compositions often feature mundane scenes like housing developments, roads, and parking lots, yet through his lens, they become poignant reflections of the human impact on the environment. One of Adams’ notable contributions is his ability to merge artistic expression with a critical examination of societal issues. His work goes beyond mere documentation, offering a thoughtful commentary on the consequences of unchecked development and the loss of natural landscapes. Through his photographs, Adams prompts viewers to confront the complex relationship between humanity and the environment.

The pictures below are created by Adams.

Robert Adams bibliography

Robert Adams  is an American photographer who has focused on the changing landscape of the American West. His work first came famous in the mid-1970s through his book The New West. He has received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize and the Hasselblad Award.

The picture above shows a minimalistic house with the focal point of a figure of a woman standing in the window while surrounded with rectangular shapes around such as window frames and doors. The monochrome look of this images gives it a solemn and isolated feel. Due to the age of the picture it is likely that the woman in the picture is a housewife who is unchaperoned.

What is it?

New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape was a ground-breaking exhibition of contemporary landscape photography held at the George Eastman House’s International Museum of Photography from October 1975 to February 1976. . A turning point in the history of photography, the 1975 exhibition New Topographics signaled a radical shift away from traditional depictions of landscape.

What was the new topographic a reaction to?

An exhibition at the International Museum of Photography in Rochester, New York featuring these photographers also revealed the growing unease about how the natural landscape was being eroded by industrial development. Examples of these are buildings, houses, roads and urban areas.

Robert Adams

This image is from Robert Adams of a woman inside her house in the suburbs. The use of the rectangles/frames around the woman creates a vocal point of the woman. The dark grey and black tones give a lonely and sad feeling to the image. It creates an image of a house wife at home on her own, in America. The frames around the woman, creates a zoom in effect. This means the focal point is the woman, the photographer has done this by using the rule of thirds.

Series of his Images

New topographics was a term coined by William Jenkins in 1975 to describe a group of American photographers (such as Robert Adams and Lewis Baltz) whose pictures had a similar banal aesthetic, in that they were formal, mostly black and white prints of the urban landscape

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New topographics was a turning point in the history of photography, the 1975 exhibition New Topographics signaled a radical shift away from traditional depictions of landscape.

What was the new topographics a reaction to

The stark, beautifully printed images of the mundane but oddly fascinating topography was both a reflection of the increasingly suburbanised world around them, and a reaction to the tyranny of idealised landscape photography that elevated the natural and the elemental.

Post War America struggled with:

-inflation and labour rest. The country’s main economic concern in the immediate post-war years was inflation.

-The baby boom and suburbia. Making up for lost time, millions of returning veterans soon married and started families

-isolation and splitting of the family unit, pharmaceuticals and mental health problems

-Vast distances, road networks and mobility

What was the new topographics inspired by?

Many of the photographers associated with new topographics including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz, Nicholas Nixon and Bernd and Hiller Becher, were inspired by the man-made, selecting subject matter that was matter-of-fact. Parking lots, suburban housing and warehouses were all depicted with a beautiful stark austerity, almost in the way early photographers documented the natural landscape.

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