Grappling with conflicting feelings of awe and anxiety as wildfires escalate and climate change becomes increasingly evident, The Sierra gives a distinctive and timely look at a place that has long defined American ideas of wilderness. The photographs are rooted in a personal connection to place, with one eye contemplating the Sierra’s uncertain future, and one examining the European lineage of landscape imagery which marks its past. Photographed over the course of five years with a large-format film camera, the images use a variety of digital processing techniques that convey the physical sensation of being in the mountains, and visually embody ongoing environmental changes.
This webpage shows my initial book design concept and image sequence, a project that is in progress.
Cover font is a 19th century typeface found on Albert Bierdstadt and Eadweard Muybridge prints and portfolios of the American West. Rear cover type is adapted from Theodore Rousseau’s studio stamp.