In my thesis paper I turn a critical eye on the history of American landscape photography. In it I explore problematic issues of representation in historical as well as contemporary photography. I argue that our relationship to the landscape is changing as we better understand our impact on the environment, and that artists need to depart even further from traditional means of landscape depiction to help expand our perception of our surroundings. In my paper, different eras of landscape photography are compared and contrasted and I refer to other mediums such as sculpture and land-art for potential alternative ways of looking at landscape imagery.
My thesis work, titled Keep Out, is an attempt to deconstruct the landscape artwork that I make. I’ve been compulsively photographing the outdoors since I was a child, and this project is an opportunity for me to explore how and why I make the images I make. Through researching for my thesis paper, I’ve been able to trace the line of my influences and form a selective history of landscape photography. Keep Out is an installation that breaks apart the elements of my work and highlights the departures I’ve made from traditional landscape photography.