Two Trees by Bryce Olsen Print, 24" x 24"

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I started the Salton Sea project towards the end of my time at the Brooks Institute. What first drew me … Read more I started the Salton Sea project towards the end of my time at the Brooks Institute. What first drew me to the place was the overwhelming sense of scale of the area I saw in pictures. What I found there was something completely different. I wanted to convey not only the sense of scale but also the sense of aloneness you feel while there physically. Aloneness is different then loneliness, because the place is full of life, If you look. I was going through a tough time emotionally in regards to my own life, my career and where I fit into the social landscape looming ahead.

As I dug into the shooting and tried to tell my version of this abandoned piece of American History, I found all sorts of things I wasn't looking for. It was only half way through shooting did I realize the true meaning of this body of work. The work became less about a sun burnt landscape left to the ravages of time and heat and more about the relationship between man and nature. There is this interesting dichotomy in that much of this country's natural habitat has been taken over by man. But what happens when man leaves? The Salton Sea is that work in progress. The animals seem to have reclaimed the land for their own. My images are trying to convey the sense of life, a rebirth or genesis of that landscape. These animals have clearly made this their home again.

I believe the real meaning of this body of work is metamorphoses. Not just the landscape, but my own. There is this underlying introspective look at myself, a self-expression of the aloneness I was feeling and the lack of direction I had to figure out. Trips like this help me re-connect myself to the world around me. Hopefully I portray the scene the way I experienced it and the viewer can share in that experience. My true hope is that you have that same emotional response to the scene that I did.

Technical Notes: Bryce primarily shoots with a Hassleblad 500cm with an 80mm f2.8.. When shooting digital he shoots a Canon 5D Mark II with a Carl Zeiss 50mm 1.4. His film of choice is Tmax 100 film

Unframed Two Trees by Bryce Olsen Print, 24" x 24" See less