Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer and artist, known well for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. He has photographed from many locations around the world capturing industrial landscapes showing how this impacts nature and human existence. Beginning in the late 1970s, he started to capture natural landscapes from a formalist perspective showing unique compositions that were inspired by abstract expressionist paintings.

https://www.ideelart.com/magazine/edward-burtynsky

Burtynsky’s most famous photographs are landscape views, with some altered by the industry, for example mine tailings, quarries, or scrap piles. The ways he captures his photographs creates depth and unique structures, showing us from different unique points that give different perspectives.

Burtnysky’s work engages and brings you closer into the photo, as you are looking from unique perspectives from a far which gives you a more in depth and abstract view. The photo is quite unusual to the viewer at first, meaning we don’t see destruction and industrialisation from perspectives like this. This engages the viewer more because from wider and detailed angles, it allows them to see things differently so they can look at things differently during climate change. The photos communicate a strong message, linking to Anthropocene.

Instead of capturing modernist and interesting compositions, he began looking for subject matter which allowed him to make social, political, economical, and cultural statements with his work. He creates a series called Tilted Railcuts captured the physical trauma and destruction of land caused by contractions of rail roads. He then created a series called Homesteads, documenting precarious ways in which humans transform their natural surroundings when constructing neighbourhoods, towns

In response to Burtynsky’s work I want to capture from absract views showing the unique angles and formations that link to Anthropocene. I really like this style of photographs because they are a different styles to what we

Anthropocene describes the time when humans have had a substantial impact on our planet, explaining in periods of time when human activity have had influences on the climate and environment.

Some people think the impact made by humans is in close relation to climate change. However a key factor of Anthropocene, is showing awareness of the current state of the planet and how our reactions are influenced by this.

We think of Anthropocene linking to us globally, meaning the planet is one big system that surrounds us in different ways, such as in ecosystems, urban/ industrial or geological/ naturally. Photographers have captured this in abstract ways showing unique compositions and forms, that are found naturally or in the industry, but also showing a close relation to science. This could mean how the industry is slowly impacting the environment through pollution, and we see this everyday. Also, we can see this by looking at what the environment used to look like before compared to how it looks now.

How and why are photographers exploring this concept?

Photographers explore this concept through the use of visual imagery capturing from aerial views. This way photographers can capture a view in the air by giving a unique perspective on the landscape, showing both beautiful and toxic sites. Photographers find this an interesting concept to explore as they too are investigating the human influence on earth. What they capture is a message to us as the viewer because we can see destruction happening to the planet.

For this photoshoot I visited Harve Des Pas, where I could capture both urban and rural landscapes. I thought this would be an interesting place to photograph as for some I could feature both landscapes in one photo.

Beginning in the 1970s, a group of photographers including Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz and Nickolas Nixon were associated with the 1975 exhibition New Topographic; this was Photographs of man- altered landscapes. The exhibition displayed their work, it showed how they focused on different kind of landscapes rather than those found naturally or at national parks. They showed landscape photography in a new way, focusing on urban landscape areas around America post-war, such as suburban areas like freeways, gas stations, or industrial parks. This was a new reflection to the suburban world around them, as they began to explore different and new ways of capturing landscapes.

The New Topographic show how photographers have responded to man’s impact on the land, they began to photograph urban landscapes with human activity, rather than just natural landscapes.

This new style suggested a ‘cool detachment’ from the more perfect and pristine landscapes of the natural/ man-made world. The New Topographic showed new scenes of everyday American Landscape.

Robert Adams was best know for his photographs both natural and commercialized landscapes of the American West. Adams grew up in Colorado, earning a PhD in English at the University of California. He then began to start teaching at a college where he started photographing various landscapes of nature and architecture, using a 35mm reflex camera.

Adams criticises the degradation of natural landscapes, making clear that his work is primarily focused on light. He communicated this through his series of nocturnal landscapes called, Summer Nights Walking. During this series, between 1976-1982, he capturing photos during summer evenings where he could achieve a nocturnal effect. In this project he photographed sidewalks, trees, and fields that were lit up by the moonlight or streetlamps. This created a ‘new vision of landscapes.’

“I think if you placed me almost anywhere and gave me a camera you could return the next day to find me photographing. It helps me, more than anything I know, to find home.”

ROBERT ADAMS

I captured various landscapes across St Ounes Coast. One of the places was the sand dunes I thought this was an interesting landscape to capture because of the uneven formations and textures.

Ansel Adams uses a large format view camera, where he used the lowest aperture, f/64 which allowed him to capture the fine detail and sharpness across the whole photo, allowing him to print larger images. The smaller the aperture, means a greater depth of field is created. Ansel Adams captures his photos mainly on black and white film still, which helps focus the viewers attention, whilst emphasising shapes rather than colours. This creates an interesting effect because we can also see the contrast in colour, which creates a unique gradients of darker and lighter grey tones.

The depth created in the photo is elevated by the snake river that runs up the middle of the photo, creating a unique depth of field leading us up to the mountains. This creates an important focus point in the landscape as the darker tones creates contrast, giving a dramatic effect as they are softly elevated by the speckled lighter tones that outline areas, creating a more warmer tone and feel. As we can see from areas of the sky and the river, the light that shines and outlines areas creates a smooth but rough texture in places. As the viewer we pay more attention to the lighter areas as we would typically notice this straight away, as they are exaggerated and highlighted more by the darker tones that surround these areas.

The Tetons and Snake River is one of the most famous pieces of photography in the world, inspiring many photographers. Some described the photo as ‘iconic’ because of the unique setting and compositions. The particular way you get lost looking up the river, gives an elevated and sinuous sense of reading, making you look and move in an indirect and curving way. Making you feel calm because it softly changes direction whilst flowing off into the distance. This effect is also created by the subtle contrast in light, as it changes from the very illuminated areas to darker areas.

Ansel Adams communicates to the viewer the ‘greatness of nature.’ He used the river because he wanted our eyes to circulate in the river, which would lead our eyes up into the mountains. Adams used the late afternoon light which creates reflection and balances the exposure, elevating the texture and compositions in the landscape. It dramatises the landscape, because of the shadows created whilst it also exaggerates the textures throughout.

One of Americas most famous photographers, Ansel Adams spent most of his time developing and perfecting photos, that he captured in the American Wilderness and in many national parks. Exploring places such as the High Sierra in California, while also developing wilderness and survival skills which allowed him to access some of the most spectacular scenery, in which he showcases in his photography.

In 1932 at the M.H San Francisco Museum, eleven photographers, who included Edward Weston and Brett Weston announced themselves as Group f/64. It was called this as it referred to the smallest aperture available in large- format view cameras. The large- format view cameras captured the world as it was, as Edward Weston said that the cameras captured the live world, recording life. The camera was used as it showed clearly the detail, that the Human eye wouldn’t be able to see. They specifically used aperture f/64 which provided the greatest depth of field, and created sharp focus. This meant that the print could be printed across larger areas, and still be as sharp and focused.

Ansel Adams was best know for his realist style, which was shown through his sharp contrast, which dramtised the photo, closely linking to romanticism.