A Deadpan View of Urban Landscape Photography

“I hope that these photographs are sterile, that there’s no emotional content.”
— Lewis Baltz, author of The New Industrial Parks near Irvine, California

What I find propulsive about a documentary photography series isn’t the power of objective fact—it’s an implicit point of view. But deciphering that perspective isn’t always easy, particularly when you’re viewing mundane structures like warehouses, tract homes, or factories.

Many viewers were flat-out baffled by The New Topographics exhibition at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, a half-century ago. In a new essay, “Deadpan Logic: Beyond the New Topographics,” in Dave of the Week, I discuss how this once unfamiliar style eventually became the dominant form of urban landscape photography, one that remains very popular today.

I have tremendous respect for the masterful landscape photographers who made this breakthrough possible. But I have a few quibbles with the dominant “deadpan” paradigm, which feels out of step to me today. Read why and let me know what you think (rusty at rustyweston.com).