Dystopia, America part 2

Is America’s light fading? Do things feel remotely normal? Whose values? Whose light? What is a woman? What is truth? Every week, every other day, there seems to be a new question, debate, dilemma, debacle, absurdity, challenge, assault or redefinition.  

Amidst client and editorial shoots, I’ve begun to capture and am now sharing some darker images that reflect somewhat darker post-modern moments. Dystopia, America is a wasteland of forgotten or withering dreams.

I stood in a field, not moving, for about 5 minutes to get this image.  The sound of hundreds of grackles  drew me to the site. Strangely, though, the birds were hardly ever visible, thrust into very thick field of brush, trees,  bushes and thicket.  In the city, grackles seem to be fearless.  I couldn’t understand why my presence seemed to spook them.  

Only after reflection and only after seeing this image did I understand that these birds weren’t working brush and bush for the sake of hiding… and they were not flying in formations for my entertainment.  They were feeding, of course.  

If you look very very closely at the crop below, you’ll see insects flying in the image.

Do you see them? It might be hard to detect but there is a handful or two of insects just to the right of the telephone pole and several to the left of the pole near the bird in the upper left. This image, a crop of the first image, was captured with a very high resolution medium format camera that enables such crazy data to be embedded in what is otherwise just an image of birds flying near power lines.

SIDEBAR TO THESE IMAGES. Driving home, I noticed the back of my neck was itching. Several hours later when we returned home, my belt line got very irritated and itchy. Finally, I went to the bathroom, removed my clothing and saw a tick lodged into my upper thigh. This fact and the immediate research I did on ticks and Lyme disease (relatively rare in Southeast Texas unlike other parts of the country), only gave credence to the dystopian feel of these images.

The next frame seemed to be in unison with the others… there is human life but it is not immediately visible. It is found in the form of construction materials, the truck and the Stuckeys’ sign.

Finally, I’m going to again include Dystopia, America from Part 1, as it’s my favorite in this set. I think there’s so much going on in this image. (Apparently, given that a tick soon found me, there was even more going on that I realized.).

Thanks for looking at these images. You can always check out my fine art photography store or reach out for more information or a closer look.

Below is a visual summary of this evolving Dystopian set with links to products. My online store offers a variety of sizes and options and they are very reasonably priced for custom fine art products, most of which have archival (multiple generations) museum-quality materials and inks. For instance, a 15″ x 20″ fine art print on Hahnemuhle Fine Art Bartya paper is only $135.

To give you a feel for options, I assembled this collection. This is actual size, relative to the 7-ft couch. On my site, you’ll see more options. I’m more than happy to help if you’re interested.

1. American Dystopia Type. 20″x15” Matte Metal Print with a 3/4″ inset frame and wire for mounting.  $319.96.  Additional sizes available. American Dystopia Type
2. The Hearst 20″x15” Sheer Matte Metal Print with a 3/4″ inset frame and wire for mounting.  $319.96.  Additional sizes available.  The Hearst
3. At 20″ x 15″, Stuckeys is a relatively modest print in size but it’s emboldened on archival Hahnemuhle Fine Art Bartya paper.  Most of the profit margin goes to my esteemed printer/framer as the print is housed in a Black Wood Box frame with a four-inch mat. $519.20 Stuckeys
4. Dystopia, America is featured here as a 32″x 24” fine art canvas gallery wrap with a 2.5” gallery wrap frame (sturdy!), housed in a White Wedge Float Frame.  $903.75 as shown with options to print as large as 40×30. DYSTOPIA, America
5. Overtaken is shown as a 30×40 Fine Art print (archival Hahnemuhle Fine Art Bartya paper) framed with a Box White Wood frame.  $715.79 Overtaken
6. Outlier.  A 20″ x 15″ Fine Art print on archival Hahnemuhle Fine Art Bartya paper framed with a Box White Wood frame and a four-inch mat, increasing the size proportionately. Outlier $519.20 

See this set in my Earth & Sky collection https://www.scottedwardsfineartphotography.com/earth-sky

Thanks for your time. You can find out more about me on this website.  I’m Scott Edwards, a hybrid  photographer (digital, modern and vintage lens, and a little bit of film) who shoots portraits, lifestyle, commercial and fine art photography. I gladly, thankfully shoot for individuals, families, businesses and organizations.  My fine art work is at scottedwardsfineartphotography.com

All images copyrighted. (C) Scott Edwards, 2023.