The Environmental Impact of Suburban Sprawl by Peter Essick
Awarded 1st Prize – Alternative Landscape for the SUGi x NAVA Photography competition.
Peter Essick is a photographer, author, speaker, instructor, and drone pilot who specializes in nature and environmental themes. Named one of the 40 most influential nature photographers in the world by Outdoor Photography Magazine UK, Essick has been influenced by many noted American landscape photographers from Carleton Watkins to Robert Adams. His goal is to make photographs that move beyond mere documentation to reveal in careful compositions the human impact of development as well as the enduring power of the land.
“I am trying to document the environmental impact of construction, land use, and suburban sprawl. Construction and development eliminate tree cover and result in loss of habitat for wildlife. More pavement heats up the city and exacerbates global warming. Sprawl is a major contributor to poor quality of life, and a sedentary lifestyle produces many detrimental health effects.”
Peter Essick
“All this development is happening on the traditional lands of the Muscogee people, whom the federal government forcibly removed from the region two centuries ago. Drones have been and continue to be used as weapons of war. I try to understand these issues and incorporate them into my photographic practice.”
Peter Essick
