Edward Burtynsky in CNN Style

Edward Burtynsky in CNN Style

Before there was Google Earth, there was Edward Burtynsky. Renown for his aerial images, the 60-year-old Canadian photographer has spent the greater part of three decades capturing what he describes as "nature, transformed through industry," or man-made industrial landscapes.

 

Themed around broad topics such as water, oil, mining and modern-day China, Burtynsky's expansive, large-format shots present a world of striking contrasts and otherworldly landscapes. He applies a journalist's discipline to his work, spending years at a time with one project -- researching, conducting interviews, and scouting locations.

 

"What is modern man's relationship to nature? How do we see it?" he asks, when describing his work.

"With photography, I'm able to connect people to landscapes that we wouldn't be (otherwise) exposed to."