November 5, 2009
synmirror: Alex MacLean’s aerial photography is really outstanding. Yes I am a big fan of aerial photography in general but what makes his pictures so good is the focus on human impact from a different perspective. glynnis: “Snowplow Stripe in Snow Covered Parking Lot, Taunton, Masaschusetts” by Alex MacLean I clicked through his entire site and couldn’t stop looking.  MacLean works exclusively with aerial photography.  I would put him in the same class with Edward Burtynsky in that they both explore the impact that humans have on the Earth.  However, Burtynsky tends to explore much larger, dramatic settings (the Three Gorges Dam, huge ship yards, quarries, etc.), while MacLean seems more concerned with how daily activity, living and farming space, and the evolution of technology (the abandonment of obsolete models of cars, factories, housing) shape our immediate surroundings.  His work deals exclusively with America, and ranges from the mostly defunct steel industry of Birmingham’s industrial revolution to amusement parks in Florida to large-scale RV parks and housing developments across the country.  It’s especially frightening work to consider in light of climate change and its potential long-term effects on the settings he photographs (and the way of life that comes with them), especially considering the economic climate much of America finds itself in today.

synmirror: Alex MacLean’s aerial photography is really outstanding. Yes I am a big fan of aerial photography in general but what makes his pictures so good is the focus on human impact from a different perspective.

glynnis:

“Snowplow Stripe in Snow Covered Parking Lot, Taunton, Masaschusetts” by Alex MacLean

I clicked through his entire site and couldn’t stop looking.  MacLean works exclusively with aerial photography.  I would put him in the same class with Edward Burtynsky in that they both explore the impact that humans have on the Earth.  However, Burtynsky tends to explore much larger, dramatic settings (the Three Gorges Dam, huge ship yards, quarries, etc.), while MacLean seems more concerned with how daily activity, living and farming space, and the evolution of technology (the abandonment of obsolete models of cars, factories, housing) shape our immediate surroundings.  His work deals exclusively with America, and ranges from the mostly defunct steel industry of Birmingham’s industrial revolution to amusement parks in Florida to large-scale RV parks and housing developments across the country.  It’s especially frightening work to consider in light of climate change and its potential long-term effects on the settings he photographs (and the way of life that comes with them), especially considering the economic climate much of America finds itself in today.