The best thing (in my opinion) about these three photographers is their very loose interpretation of what makes a landscape photograph. So often landscape photography fills this trite role of grandiose vistas with dramatic lighting and nary a human in sight. I won't name names, but we all know.... It's been done---time for something new. Metzker's photographs really fight the landscape ideal in a grinding, give-no-inch style. His dizzying close-ups of flora have all the necessary subject matter for a traditional landscape, but none of the perspective. I had a bit of trouble getting used to his washed out, low contrast tonal range, but I suspect it would be less distracting in a larger print.
Arno Minkinnen was for me the most interesting of the three. His personal involvement with the actual land in each picture made the atmosphere much more salient and tangible. One photograph shows him diving head-first into an icy pond. A picture of an icy pond looks cold. A picture of a man diving into that pond feels frigid. I definitely preferred the photographs in which he imposes himself on the landscape, rather than incorporating a body part into it. For example, there is one photo that shows an arm following the curve of a river that is an interesting play on perspective, but it falls short of putting me in that space. Maybe that's not his goal, though, in which case it would be irrelevant.
Finally, we come to John Pfahl. I wasn't crazy about this guy. A lot of his series were pretty standard, autumnal-nature feel-good types. I thought his work strengthened up a lot when he tackeled man-made landscapes rather than the Susquehanna river or whatever. The smoke landscapes were really compelling in their dirty, ephemeral grittiness. Also, the "Altered Landscapes" section was arresting. I say that because half of those pictures made me stop and just stare in bewilderment at what was going on. It's confusing stuff, but that's a great thing. Better to come away from something feeling confused and maybe a little pissed off than whatever an autumn river scene could do for you.
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