Contemporary Place Photographer -- Frank Gohlke

Aftermath: The Wichita Falls, Texas , Tornado No. 11A and 11B, 4503 McNeil, looking north, 1979/1980.

Abandoned Grain Elevator, Homewood Kansas, 1973

Boxborough Station, Boxborough, MA - from 42.30 North: A Line on the Land, 2002.

Biography: Born in 1942 in Texas, he attended the University of Texas and Yale University.  

Significance: Gohlke is well known for his large scale work, and his website describes him as "a leading figure in American landscape photography." His work has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, the International Museum of Photography, and many other places. His work was included in the 1975 group exhibition New Topographics: Images of a Man-Altered Landscape. He is important because his work discusses nature and what humans have done to it -- altered it and destroyed it in some cases. He also documents the effect of nature on man made things -- such as tornados. 

Composition: In his work, Gohlke uses a zoomed out technique to show the broad scope of the American landscape. This also allows the composition to seem lonely and desolate, even though there is destruction and man made buildings. He does this to emphasize the nature surrounding the man made things. 

Concept, Aboutness, Idea: Gohlke is trying to discuss nature, humans, and technology.  

Method: As noted above, Gohlke is noted for his large scale work.  He also takes photographs of nature at one time, and then goes back and takes a picture at a later date, such as after a natural disaster, to capture the change over time in the same location.  

Motivations: Gohlke's motivations in his work are to capture a narrative about nature. He is commenting on the relationship between humans and nature.  Humans have built many things, altered nature, and he comments on how nature effects humans through natural disasters.