Edward Burtynsky

We started photography YAAY !!! During this unit we will be taking photos of industrial areas and nature's best scenes. Putting them together to make a presentation. So, first thing was, we went over some, basics like aperture, ISO and F-stops, which I found confusing, because this is my first time with all this. Then recently we watched a movie : Manufactured Landscapes, in which (Canadian) Photographer, Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscapes/the environment due to industrial work and manufacturing.

The movie focuses on Burtynsky photographing industrial landscapes i.e factories, landfills and expanding industries. The movie really tries to show the shocking reality, that the western world is ignorant of. For example exploitation of workers, the movie shows how the ill treated workers, slave away for hours, in terrible working conditions to make a small wage. It focusses on the effects of globalization on the environment, natural landscapes around the world.

This video was a rude awakening for me, I had no idea that, somethings like our cell phones and computers caused so much e-waste and that poverty stricken people across the world had to sort through it with no protective equipment, putting themselves at risk of disease. The thing that really hit home, was the image of children playing in the e-waste!

Just like our projects the movie had incorporated visuals with sound. There were scenes in which a narrator spoke, then, there was other sound (natural). There was also an interesting use of still images, as well as film in motion. There were still images taken by Burtynsky, the actual film footage with the director and Burtynsky speaking and footage with sounds of machines,workers, tools etc... despite all these uses of mixed media, there was unification through out the video.

Personally, this film was interesting but, I had a difficult time staying focused. Burtynsky's photography and his process was intriguing. The Photographs were all extremely meaningfull, with hidden messages and layers of meaning. What I liked was that Burtynsky didn't want the viewer to have a particular perception by looking at the picture, nor did he try to create a bias with his art.

"Nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in my work."- Edward Burtynsky

Take a look at his work, it's unique and one of a kind, I have linked his site above^.