A Photographer Captures Earth as a Strange New World

In 1799, the German biologist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt triggered on a journey through the Americas, cataloging all he might discover: plants, minerals, capybaras, canals, and so on. Humboldt proposed that the world was “one terrific living organism where whatever was linked”– a theory that would motivate Charles Darwin. He presented the idea of environments and was amongst the very first biologists to keep in mind mankind’s damaging effect on Earth.

In 2017, professional photographer Christopher Edward Rodriguez discovered Humboldt’s works. He had actually been considering what a video camera can actually see when almost every inch of the world has actually been “formed, directed, and photographed to death.” He embraced Humboldt’s concepts and triggered throughout the Americas to produce a series of images that reveal the world “as if it’s never ever been seen prior to.” He utilized long direct exposures, synthetic lighting, and colored gels to “prevent the video camera’s clinical precision.” His go for the photos was to communicate a state of mind of “constant strangeness,” one that embodies a forgotten tenet of Humboldt’s: “Everything is interaction and mutual.”