What is the meaning to new Topographics?

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.

What was the New Topographics in relation 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.

What was it 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. 

How have photographers responded to mans impact on land?

Photography has also been instrumental in shaping public opinion, as it can evoke emotions and influence how people see and understand the world. Photographs can sway public opinion and impact the course of events, whether through photojournalism, advertising, or propaganda. Landscape photographers often capture the effects of human activity on the environment. These images serve as a powerful reminder of the consequences of irresponsible actions, such as deforestation, pollution, and climate change.

how have photographers found a sense of beauty in the ugliness of functional land use?

Landscape photography is an immersive journey that allows us to connect with the awe-inspiring beauty of our planet. Through composition, perspective, and the mastery of light, we can capture and unveil Earth’s wonders. Some landscape photographers highly value what they show in their photos as “real”; that there is correlation between what they saw with their own eyes at the moment they got the photo and the final print. It, of course, comes with some problems. Defining what “real” is, is actually rather hard.