I was first introduced to the idea of aerial photography when my sister spent a summer knocking on every door in Birmingham trying to sell photos of peoples' houses taken from a bird's eye view. She worked 8 hours everyday for nine weeks in the cold, wet English summer and sold 3 photos! Either the photos were rubbish or she wasn't a very good saleswoman...... I think it was the later.A few years ago this amazing exhibition came to London depicting some of the most incredible sights on our planet taken from above. I fell in love with "Earth from the air's" awe-inspiring beauty and how wonderfully the pictures capture our planet and what we've done to it.
From this exhibition a collaboration has sprung up between the photographer Yann Arthus-Betrand and Google to create Google Earth from the air. Check out this webpage and interview (In French with subtitles in English) with Yann to find out more about it and how to download it. Click here.
Here is a trailer (2.27 mins) for a film he made about the planet and how we are imposing our influence on the landscapes around us, for better and for worse. Click here.
What do you think? Did you go and see "Earth from the Air" when it was in Buenos Aires? What did you think of it? Do you think Yann Arthus-Betrand is a positive environmental force for change or is he just a photographer trying to attach meaning to some pretty pictures? Where does the line between photography and art begin and end? Can photography be considered art?
Tom
Thanks, Tom, for this post about "Earth form the Air" and for telling us about the "Home" project. I saw the "Earth from the Air" exhibition when it came to Plaza San Martin here in Buenos Aires and the photographs were truly spectacular. I can't wait to watch the "Home" video!
ReplyDeleteAndy
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThis is me being frank (as usual):
Firstly, i didn't mean to watch the "Home" video. But then i realized that if i had to comment something about these photographs, it would have been kinda poor. So i did watch it, and it stunned me. I thought i'd have to deal with more photographs (maybe because of my age, maybe not) which i don't understand or don't see the beauty in them, but my expectations were pleasently mistaken. The video was marvellous, there were some wonderful landscapes and i loved those scenes where you can see the animals in their natural enviroment.
Now, this is me being straightforward, as usual, answering the questions Tom asked in the post:
- No, i didn't go to see "Earth From The Air" when it was in Buenos Aires... never even heard of it.
- Ergo, can't comment on that.
- I would like to think of him as the first aspect describes him, but honestly, can't really give an opinion about that due to my lack of knowledge about his life and/or photography career.
- I think every activity that needs of your emotional involvement or creative skills could be considered as art.
My cousin is a professional photographer, and she thinks of herself as an artist... just saying.
See you tomorrow, people
Juani
Hi everyone, I haven't saw the video beause I can't listen from this computer... but yes I have saw the pictures when they have come to Buenos Aires! I really like them but they didn't surprised me because my father already had the book with those pictures so they were already familiar to me. In my opinion, pictures can really be art and one of my favorits artists is a photographer. His name is Alejandro Kuropatwa. Anyway, he doesn't take pictures to landscapes but in his pictures we can see the nature.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! When I first read about this photographer I thought I didn't know this photographs, but later I remembered going to see the pictures at Plaza San Martin here in Buenos Aires. I think the images are wonderful, and the movie seems amazing too, I expected the film to be booring, however, when I watched the trailer I was really impressed.
ReplyDeleteAs regards to Yann Arthus-Betrands objectives I consider he is trying to raise peoples conciousness about the way humans are changing the world cause I've read he is also participating in non-profit projects so that made me think his real objective is not to make money.
I can not trully see the limit between photography and art, because although this amazing pictures make on you an emotional reaction, they are not a human creation, they are only showing nature.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI’ve never heard of nor seen “Earth from the air” here, in Argentina.
To my mind, the job of Yann Arthus-Betrand was to cause a ”wake-up loving” to our planet. I think that this photographer has a huge commitment to the environment and expresses it through all his photos.
The video that was posted on Youtube created by Yann shows the wonder and all the beauty that surrounds us.
God created amazing things, nature and the human being with all that it includes, and what are we doing with his creation? Are we taking care of it or preserving it as it should be?
Let’s create a consciousness, let’s support Yenn Arthus-Betrand´s project, let’s help to our mother earth, LET’S SAVE THE WORLD!
i looove this photograph, they are just AMAZING
ReplyDelete