Michael Kenna

        Michael Kenna is well known for his use of black-and-white landscape photography. What is landscape photography? Landscape photography focuses on capturing the true beauty of nature, anything naturalistic such as trees, mountains, or sand dunes can be considered a landscape. Michael Kenna is one of the most unique landscape photographers because he’s seen as an anomaly. As a contemporary photographer, he uses black and white in his work which is more traditional than what other contemporary photographers work it.

Torii, Study 2, Takaishima, Biwa Lake, Honshu, Japan, 2007

        What makes Michael Kenna’s work so different is his certain perspective of nature. Nature is colorful and beautiful but Michael Kenna shows a different aspect of nature through landscape photography by illustrating a more mysterious side of what we see daily. Kenna has a unique vision of nature, and with traditional aspects throughout his work leave room for interpretation; just like the photo shown above.

        The photo shown above, named Torii, Study 2, Takaishima, Biwa Lake, Honshu, Japan, 2007, represents Michael Kenna’s landscape work. The reason is by the centering of the Torii in the middle of a water source in Japan. When looking at this photo, looks like a gate to somewhere unknown; which again brings that factor of mystery and interpretation. This is the work that’s well known for Michael Kenna, also as his trademark in landscape photography. This is why Kenna is very different from other contemporary photographers since he brings traditional aspects to a type of photography that’s more prominent with color.


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