Gabriel Gusman- Environmental Photography by David Maisel

Preface

Hello, my name is Gabriel Gusman and my portfolio is about David Maisel and his amazing photography which gives us a special view on some key environmental issues such as mining and deforestation. The Licensing I will be using is CC BY-NC

Introduction

In my portfolio, I will be showing three of my favorite environmental photos from David Maisel’s work. David Maisel is widely recognized for his incredible photos that on the surface may seem beautiful, but in reality, they are photos of the consequences us humans are having on our environment.

Theme

There is a very obvious reoccurring theme throughout David Maisel’s work which is the human impact on our environment. The photographs captured by Maisel shown in this portfolio gives us a clear look at the impact of deforestation and mining around our country. As you can see in the photograph titled “The Forest”, we can get a clear understanding of a before and after human interference in this particular forest in Maine. In the photograph titled “The Mining Project”, although the colors present may seem beautiful, they are actually a result of heavy pollution caused by human activity in nearby mines made to extract natural resources. The second theme that can be drawn from Maisel’s work is that humans and nature are one in the same. As shown in the photographs, careless human activities have a direct impact on the surrounding environment and the consequences are entirely caused by those activities showing us that we are one with nature, if we do not treat nature with care, nature will not care for us.

Analysis

David Maisel, born in 1961, is a world renowned visual artist that for the past three decades has dedicated his time to capture incredible photographs in order to bring more attention to some of the negative impacts that human activities have on the environment. Maisel earned his Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and later on attended the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. Instead of writing journals and essays, Maisel decided to use his passion for photography to bring attention to the physical impact of of activities such as mining, logging, urban sprawl, and other human activities that negatively impact our environment. His work has brought lots of attention since he started due to the breathtaking views that is provided to us of places we would probably never see with our own eyes, and this attention has won him awards such as the Guggenheim Fellowship in the Creative Arts in 2018 and Investing in Artists Grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation in 2011.

Application

In my opinion, analyzing David Maisel’s work is a perfect way to discuss the the subject of maintaining our environment due to the shocking and beautiful photos, as soon as you see these images you are instantly curious about what the image is showing and once you realize what it is, you realize that they are results of careless actions by humans. These images are so stunning that they will not easily be forgotten, making it perfect to show these consequences. I would suggest that you go over to David Maisel’s website and check out more of his work in this subject, it is truly amazing.