Polluted America: Amazingly colourful aerial pictures that highlight damage to Earth wrought by industry
At first glance they're beautiful, but these incredible snaps reveal something far more ugly.
J Henry Fair's spectacular aerial images show the devastation man has wreaked on America. Pollution is exposed on a massive scale, creating striking vivid colours that highlight the scars of spillages, open cast mining, chemical and oil leaks, industrial decay and deforestation. Mr Fair, from New York, said the beauty of the pictures draws people in and then they learn the reasons for the vivid colours and the shapes.He said: 'I have been concerned about environmental issues for a long time as well as being fascinated by the graphic beauty of machines and the importance of industrial decay. 'All of these interests combine in this body of work. 'They came together a few years ago with the realisation that this subject matter could move people to potentially have the power to change our direction for the better. By the time I am actually photographing something, so much research has gone into the subject that my understanding of it forces me to see it for what it is. During the shooting process, I am looking to compose and create images that will captivate, so in some sense I am attempting to make a silk purse from a sow's ear. I have found that the reason this project has had so much success is because the beauty of the images initially draws audiences in; they are captivating in the same way that timeless pieces by the great abstract expressionists are. I think that if the initial beauty in the photographs was not present, the project would not have the same affect on people. Because the pictures are so beautiful, people want to learn more about what is going on in each image. Mr Fair has a photographic studio in New York and his images are available in his new book called 'The Day After Tomorrow: Images of Our Earth in Crisis.'
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