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About Benedict Brain
Benedict Brain is a photographer, journalist, and artist based in the UK. He is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society and serves on the Distinctions Advisory Panel of the society. He is also a former editor of Digital Camera Magazine and the writer of You Will be Able to Take Great Photos by The End of This Book.
The connection between humanity and the natural world is a motif that serves as a foundation for much of my photographic practice as I roam the globe.
This month’s photograph, captured on the Caribbean isle of Aruba earlier this year, was selected because it encapsulates this connection – in addition, I appreciate it! Reflecting on my past, it was likely a workshop led by American photographer Lewis Baltz during my university photography studies that ignited a fascination with this facet of my work. Baltz was part of the New Topographics movement, and alongside photographers like Stephen Shore and Robert Adams, has undoubtedly motivated and influenced me.
The New Topographics movement, which arose in the 1970s, concentrated on portraying human-modified landscapes with a neutral, almost deadpan style that dismissed romanticized views and instead highlighted mundane, everyday environments formed by urbanization and industry. I admire their work and encourage you to explore it.
To establish the slightly dreamlike quality of this image, I employed an on-camera flashgun. I frequently utilize flash during my travels. With limited influence over when and where I can capture images, the compact sunlight can serve as a helpful, at times essential, instrument. Regardless of its necessity, it also produces an aesthetic I favor. The ‘fill flash’ can impart a hyper-real appearance to a photograph. This is something I appreciate. It’s the approach I adopted here. Consequently, there’s a vibrancy to the colors and textures of the striking blue deteriorating seawall.
Recently, someone remarked that the picture reminded them, in some manner, of The Great Wave off Kanagawa, the renowned woodblock print by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai created around 1831. It was a kind and flattering comparison that I’m not completely persuaded by, but I can understand their perspective, as there are visual and thematic parallels. Hokusai’s wave conveys the might of nature, employs shades of blue, and presents an unconventional viewpoint.
In a way, I was also hinting at the fragility of humanity in the face of the ocean and nature, with the decaying man-made structure adjacent to the sea representing decline or the passage of time – and, akin to the New Topographics, a particular beauty in the ordinary.
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