Christopher Michel
Edward Burtynsky
PhotographerKnown for:
large-format photographs of industrial and environmental transformation
Education:
Niagara College (graphic design); Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (BA, Photographic Arts, 1982)
Edward Burtynsky has spent more than four decades photographing the industrial landscape - oil fields in Azerbaijan, nickel tailings in Sudbury, shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh, electronic waste in China - as monumental evidence of humanity's transformation of the earth. He works with large-format cameras, printing at sizes that require viewers to walk back and forth across the image. He was awarded the TED Prize in 2005 and is the subject of the documentary Manufactured Landscapes (2006).
Edward Burtynsky's Gear List(1)
Fujifilm
Connection note
Burtynsky has discussed shooting his large-format industrial landscapes on Velvia 50; the film's fine grain and color saturation allow the tonal detail his oversized prints require, and its use is documented in interviews accompanying "Manufactured Landscapes" (2006).
Product description
Velvia 50 is a color reversal film introduced by Fujifilm in 1990, rated at ISO 50. Its extremely fine grain and vivid color saturation made it the standard film among landscape and wildlife photographers through the 1990s and 2000s. It remains in production and is favored by photographers working with medium and large format cameras.
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Last updated March 20, 2026