Industrial Landscape Photography

An industrial landscape is not necessarily about the city—for me, photography is always about subjective perception. Naturally, I approached the series “Industrial Landscape” through my own lens of personal experience.

If we read the general definition of the word “industrialization,” we learn that it refers to the transition from a traditional lifestyle to an industrial, technological, and energy-driven one. Essentially, it is the industrial revolution that paved the way for industrialization.

For me, industrialization is represented by factories, plants, railways, bridges, overpasses, highways, power plants, hydroelectric stations, and other energy facilities. I won’t judge industrialization as good or bad because it simply exists; it is part of our world, and without it, our modern life would collapse.

Viewed objectively and through the lens of this photography series, I perceive industrialization in black-and-white, with high contrast, deep shadows, and low exposure. I see it as chaotic and cluttered, slightly dirty and untidy. This is how industrialization appears to me and how it manifests in my industrial photography.

While working on this series, I hardly ever used a tripod—even on overcast days, I underexposed the photographs slightly and achieved the desired effect at a shutter speed of 1/200. The only exception was the final image, which required a tripod for exposure stacking.

Low exposure helps convey a sense of heaviness, confinement, and inevitability. This does not imply a negative judgment of industrialization; rather, it highlights the intensity of labor in this field and reflects the rugged nature of produced goods and materials, such as in metallurgy and energy. Railway logistics is also inherently heavy, with rails, sleepers, lubricants’ scents, and fully loaded freight cars.

High contrast complements underexposure and adds a certain roughness to the images, which is typical for industrial-themed photography. I do not use grain in post-processing, as it is more characteristic of film, which conveys softness and delicacy rather than the industrial aesthetic.

In today’s industrial world, many factories and plants are so clean and white that surgical operations could be performed inside them. This is a completely different side of industrial production, one that I may perceive differently in the future.

I used to wonder, “Why are most of my photographs so bright and warm, while much of the creative world captures subjects differently?” Working on this series allowed me to look inward and understand that my attention naturally gravitates toward the positive aspects of life. I love nature, small warm wooden towns, and the simple lives of ordinary people. That is exactly what I capture—I photograph what I love.

I do not attempt to impose my personal emotions into the photographs. For me, photography is a pleasure; I enjoy the process, and within it, I aim to showcase the positive (in my subjective perception). Working on the industrial landscape series forced me to see things differently—you can photograph anything, but it is important to present every subject through your own perspective.