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Two Trees, by Bryce Olsen

Two Trees, by Bryce Olsen

Bryce Olsen

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Every piece is made to order, and is printed only by carefully selected labs on museum-grade archival papers that will stand the test of time. Please reach out with any questions, we're here to help!

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I started the Salton Sea project towards the end of my time at the Brooks Institute. What first drew me to the place was the overwhelming sense of scale of the area I saw in pictures. What I found there was something completely different. I wanted to convey not only the sense of scale but also the sense of aloneness you feel while there physically. Aloneness is different then loneliness, because the place is full of life, If you look. I was going through a tough time emotionally in regards to my own life, my career and where I fit into the social landscape looming ahead.

As I dug into the shooting and tried to tell my version of this abandoned piece of American History, I found all sorts of things I wasn't looking for. It was only half way through shooting did I realize the true meaning of this body of work. The work became less about a sun burnt landscape left to the ravages of time and heat and more about the relationship between man and nature. There is this interesting dichotomy in that much of this country's natural habitat has been taken over by man. But what happens when man leaves? The Salton Sea is that work in progress. The animals seem to have reclaimed the land for their own. My images are trying to convey the sense of life, a rebirth or genesis of that landscape. These animals have clearly made this their home again.

I believe the real meaning of this body of work is metamorphoses. Not just the landscape, but my own. There is this underlying introspective look at myself, a self-expression of the aloneness I was feeling and the lack of direction I had to figure out. Trips like this help me re-connect myself to the world around me. Hopefully I portray the scene the way I experienced it and the viewer can share in that experience. My true hope is that you have that same emotional response to the scene that I did.

Technical Notes: Bryce primarily shoots with a Hassleblad 500cm with an 80mm f2.8.. When shooting digital he shoots a Canon 5D Mark II with a Carl Zeiss 50mm 1.4. His film of choice is Tmax 100 film.

Bryce Olsen

Bryce grew up nestled beneath the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah. He came to love the abundant splendor of the outdoors that the state had to offer and soon became involved in activities including snowboarding, backpacking, cycling, and fly fishing. Unable to ignore the beauty of his surroundings, Bryce turned to photography as a way to communicate his wonderment and creatively express his vision. Finding unparalleled satisfaction with this artistic outlet, the passion stuck. Bryce parted ways with his beloved mountains in order to pursue an education in photography at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. He has a gift for composition that rivals the old masters twice his age, most of them long gone from this world. He is quickly becoming one of the top emerging young artists based on the West Coast and a must have for those just starting their collections.