Observations in an Occupied Wilderness: Photographs by Terry Falke [Hardcover]

Terry Falke (Photographer), Carol McCusker (Introduction), William L. Fox (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2006

Terry Falke's wry, lyrical photographs center on the terrain of the American Southwestand the ubiquity of humanitys imprint on it. The images in Observations in an Occupied Wilderness both honor and subvert the grand tradition of western landscape photography, conveying the bleak splendor of the land and Falke's sheer love of looking. Gorgeous, sardonic, and playful, Falke's work emphasizes beauty and incongruity, and is as much about human nature as it is about the land. Shot with a large-format camera, the resultant images are personal and provocative, raising as many questions than they answer. This remarkable debut monograph is a shrewd exploration of our last wild places.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Terry Falke, a native Southwesterner, has photographed various aspects and issues in the American landscape for more than 30 years. His work has been featured in many group and solo exhibitions and is held in numerous major public collections. He lives near Dallas, Texas.

William L. Fox has published numerous books and essays about photography and the West. He lives in Los Angeles.

Carol McCusker is curator of photography at the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego. She has curated numerous exhibitions and has contributed to several books. She lives in San Diego.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (November 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811850986
• ISBN-13: 978-0811850988
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 12.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,251,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Human nature complicates nature in the American southwest., June 12, 2008

By 

B. E. Read - See all my reviews

This review is from: Observations in an Occupied Wilderness: Photographs by Terry Falke (Hardcover)

This nicely printed book of landscapes and townscapes examines human elements amidst the scenery of the American southwest.

Falke is an observational photographer. He looks for details, incongruities, humorous juxtapositions, and beauty in sometimes-contradictory situations. Like others in his branch of contemporary landscape photography (Len Jenshel, Karen Halverson, Beahan & McPhee, etc.), Falke's photographs combine skilled photographic technique with an untraditional eye for landscapes that have been affected by humanity. His command of the of the 8x10 camera and the light and color in the landscape is obvious, without being the sole subject of the photos which meditate on the human elements.

Evidence, obvious or subtle, of the people who live on or visit these landscapes can be found in every picture. The view of a magnificent mountain range includes an electrical power installation; a stately butte is framed by a meager picnic shelter; a large old tree bears the indignity of hundreds of pairs of shoes hung from its branches; a moonscape desert is littered with painted tetherballs put there by a Disney movie crew to mark locations for computer-generated dinosaurs.

Some of the pictures need more than a casual glance. Like one in which you first see a car parked along a winding road at the base of a tall rock cliff. Looking closer you see a Spiderman-like rock climber inching his way up the rock face. In "Lake Estes, CO," a picture that really needs to be bigger, people are fishing, feeding ducks and staring at the photographer, while a group of elk bathes behind them unnoticed. Others benefit from contemplation. For example, there are several page spreads where the images side-by-side make an observation about something, like desert water use or the appropriation of Native American icons. A couple have similar compositions, but reverse the elements in the juxtaposition of natural vs. manmade.

The absurdity of the human elements is the subject of several pictures. In "Gallup, NM," an array of signs and power poles surround some garishly colored fake totem poles. These were apparently provided by a gas station for tourists, even though to my knowledge, Native Americans in the southwest never made totem poles. In "Bagdad California," a mystery is implied by a homeless man's shopping cart, loaded with his possessions, which appears to have been abandoned in the desert as a train speeds past in the background. Yet another records layers of absurdity by showing a large motorhome "camping" in a treeless park next to resort built with an old west theme, although it is surrounded by a roller coaster.

A quote from a museum curator on the back cover says that, "The images walk a fine line between expectation and surprise, confrontation and questioning." I would say that if you appreciate large format camera craft and landscape photography with a quirky cultural twist, I think you will like this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not your usual landscape photography, April 28, 2008

By 

Old Mule "Old Mule" (Southwest, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Observations in an Occupied Wilderness: Photographs by Terry Falke (Hardcover)

This book is a tour through the southwest landscape by an outstanding photographer with an eccentric eye and a sense of humor. It's smart and beautiful and I recommend it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Beautiful color images", February 25, 2008

By 

Pen Name (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Observations in an Occupied Wilderness: Photographs by Terry Falke (Hardcover)

From the March/April issue of Photo Techniques Magazine:

"In his beautiful color images, Falke turns on their head all the clichés of photographing the American West. Balanced Rock is framed by signs offering hikers rules and advice, an amusement park ride towers over the distant Rockies, and the Sierra Nevadas are laced with electric wires. Instead of finding a way to crop this evidence of modern civilization out of his photos, Falke acknowledges the elephant in the room, and shows us what the landscape is, rather than what we wish it to be."