America: Vernal, Utah
America: Vernal, Utah is a new body of landscape photography from artist Lincoln Schatz. The west has always been a land of mythology. A place that is equal parts real and fiction. It is a landscape that successive generations have projected aspirations onto. This is a place with a myriad of competing narratives. A land of difficulty and hardship. As well as opportunity and hope.
The land tells stories. One of those stories, for Vernal, Utah, is the impact of humans on the landscape. Even if not always visible to the eye, this impact is ever present. New generations continue to come here. Looking to make a life from this difficult land. Be it farming, ranching, eco-tourism or now the biggest industry in the area, mining. Sometimes these stays are temporary. Just for a season or two. And sometimes they become permanent. To reinvent and to struggle is a theme in these places. To make it in this incredibly tough environment requires a level of strength that can seem super-human.
Utah Landscape Photography
Vernal, Utah is a small town nearly three hours east of Salt Lake City. While many similar towns in the region struggle to survive, Vernal has seen growth in the last decade. This is largely due to the mining industry that has transformed this region irrevocably.
Here, in this set of photographs from Schatz, the relationship between the land and the people who make their living and lives on it, is explored. While mining has brought economic growth and prosperity to the region for some, its impact on the land and people paints a more complicated picture.
America: Vernal, Utah, is also about the possibilities that a new generation of ranchers are bringing to this region. New ways of farming and tending livestock are shown in this photography of the Utah landscape. This new generation of ranchers include many that are active stewards and caretakers for their lands. Finding new ways to survive in these incredible landscapes, while helping to repair the damages of past landowners.
More information on this series, including edition number, sizing and pricing can be found here.