Water in Pictures - by a Pro

Back in August, 2012 I wrote a brief article on Edward Burtynsky (see here), a Canadian photographer who did full blown photographic art shows.  It was anticipated then that his next series would be on WATER.  Well the wait will soon be over.  His WATER show will open October 5, 2013 in New Orleans and will include 60 photos depicting man's epic struggles with this vital resource.  See more details here.

It's kind of funny because back in August I (tongue in cheek) said that I hoped his depiction of Ogallala water use would NOT be the standard aerial photo of a collage of center pivot circles on the plains.  Well surprise, surprise!  He did include at least one Ogallala photo - from the air - of center pivot circles - on the plains - of Texas!   It is shown here, but it certainly is not by any means the standard photo I expected.  I'm pretty sure Mr. Burtynsky was struck by the very peculiar triangle shape left by the operation of the two intersecting pivots.  In fact, I'm pretty sure most folks will be struck as well, as I'm guessing there are only a few people in the world who actually know what's going on with these two pivots. 

Our office has been taking bets on the deeper meaning of it all.  The options thus far are:  1) The producer is a 12 degree Freemason and quite proud of it; 2) he's trying to communicate with terrestrials - most likely signaling for rain; 3) he's growing a nice patch of weed; or 4) it's the only way he can keep the two pivots from crashing into each other.  Any other guesses?

All joking aside, the Burtynsky WATER show is depicting the seriousness of our world's water situation and needs honest reflection by us all.  It runs through January 19, 2014, so if you're intrigued by WATER or want to reflect on it all, think about taking this one in.  I won't be able to make it, so I'm also hoping he'll post the series on his webpage following the initial show in New Orleans.  Everyone needs water...

Water Soon to Get the Photo Spotlight

Edward Burtynsky is a contemporary photographer making a name for himself by doing photography series – some of which take as long as 6 years to complete.  His earlier works include photographic series on QUARRIES – shot from China, to the US, to India, Portugal, Canada and Italy - MINES, RAILCUTS, HOMESTEADS, SHIPS, AUSTRALIA, and his latest series OIL - shooting this resource from cradle to grave, as they say – from extraction to its various uses to the inevitable aftermath.

His current venture is WATER, and is due for completion in 2013 after a 5-year commitment.  This should be interesting.  If he stays true to form, there should be an environmental element to his series, but one that stops short of promoting any specific agenda of any kind.  I’d like to see how he’s going to accomplish that in the world of water!

There are a few hints as to what will come up in his water series.  He has already shot the Three Gorges Dam Project in China – having had to use a drone to capture the high views since, according to Burtynsky, there is no civil aviation space in the skies of China.  The next item mentioned is “irrigation circles”.  Again, this should be interesting.  I hope he does something different than more aerial shots of pivots neatly patterned across the plains.  It’s then off to Niagara Falls I assume since he mentions that after 3 years he’s still contemplating how to shoot the falls without being “postcard-y”.  There is also a hint that he’ll cross over his oil segment with water by using some of the BP oil spill shots in the Gulf of Mexico.

He was asked if there is any aspect of the water shoot that he has found particularly challenging to capture?  His answer was “the source – where water comes from”.  I often cruise Google Images looking for groundwater pictures and I certainly sympathize with him on this one - assuming he's going to include groundwater in his series at all! 

For a peek of what this photographer has been up to you can visit his web site here.