Project Inspiration

Of all the photographers we covered this semester, I think I was drawn the most to Edward Burtynsky's work.  I love the way he shoots landscapes and incorporates the evidence of humans in nature.  Considering that our theme for the final project was the Integration of Land and Man, I really thought that my work would be inspired by Burtynsky's style.  However, as I was out in the field shooting, I kept going back to the lessons learned while studying Eliot Porter.

When I was setting up my shots, I kept thinking about some of Porter's methods for shooting landscapes, such as "every corner is alive" and "don't include the sky unless the sky has something to add to the photograph."  His intimate landscapes really affected the way I shot my final project.

West Prong, Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, March 12, 1969
Eliot Porter

I found myself really focusing on the subjects of my shots and their relationship to the natural environment around them.  I rarely used the sky in my photos and I tried to keep every corner "alive" if possible.  Even though the eye is drawn to the straight lines of the old rail lines in my photos, I hope that upon further review it is clear that I spent as much time focusing on the natural environment in each photo as well.