Teddie Herrera

Man-Made vs Nature
Personal Study:

Introduction: Own image, taken in shoot 1

My theme for this project is man-made
vs nature/natural. I would like to explore
the interaction between man-made
objects and nature, photographing man
triumphing over nature, and vice versa. I
will also look at litter’s negative impact in
natural environments, including
beaches. I think it's important to begin
the project by examining and
photographing nature and man-made
separately, focusing on camera
techniques and the local environment
surrounding me.
I have chosen this theme as I think it's important to explore the impact human nature and
the environment has on the natural world, something I don’t often think about. My work will
be inspired initially by the artists I have chosen to investigate; Barry Lewis, Nerissa Cargill
Thompson and Richard Wentworth. I have chosen these photographers because they all
examine nature and man in different, exciting ways that I would like to explore in my local
areas. Richard Wentworth looks at the battle between natural and man-made objects,
showcasing a triumph of one over the other. Nerissa Cargill Thompson photographs litter
in natural places, often collecting litter and placing it in obscure places among nature to
show the devastating impact man can have on the natural environment. Barry Lewis
photographs interactions of man and nature, photographing litter, environments and the
way man treats nature.
Throughout this project I hope to learn how man-made objects interacts with nature, and
our impact on the environment. I think it's important for us to examine how we distort,
move and break down nature through littering.

Own image, edited from 2 shoots

 Teddie Herrera

Artist Investigation 1- Richard Wentworth:

Richard Wentworth is a British photographer. I am focusing on his work which showcases

the interactions between man-made objects and nature. These photos are about the
interaction between man-made and natural beings or objects. It’s about the fight between
nature winning and man winning. The shoot involves searching for places where litter has
been discarded or abandoned in unnatural places. The photos allow you to look more
closely at something you wouldn’t pay much attention to ordinarily. The theme speaks out
on our impact on nature, and the subsequent climate change and natural disasters. The
photos are designed to make you feel angry, and committed to change.
The bottom right photograph shows a tree Making do and getting by- MColindale 2007
growing through a metal fence. The main
focus is how the tree has grown
through/around the fence, despite it being
a blockage to most. I like that the image
could be interpreted as nature being
triumphant in claiming back space and not
letting a man-made fence disrupt their
growth. The composition used is the rule
of thirds, with a fast shutter speed and a
shallow depth of field. The artist has
achieved the message of man-made vs
nature in the image by having the focus central to the photograph, whilst using a longer
depth of field to keep the context of the image and its surroundings in focus.
In my work, I will use a longer depth of field to capture the context between man-made and
nature. The aim of my photos will be to force you to address the mundane, the focus of my
images being litter. In my work, I will look for areas of natural environment where litter has
been left. I will also find obscure litter and place it in trees, fences and harbour
environments to add my own impact on the artist’s work.

Own image, Brighton Lanes in First

shoot
 Teddie Herrera

Artist Investigation 2- Nerissa Cargill Thompson:

Nerissa Cargill Thompson is an English photographer. I have chosen to focus on her

series’ Nature vs Man-Made and Beached- Found. These shoots are about using framing
of boulders and including the background of the environment within her images to frame
the object of focus. Her photos are impactful, designed to make the audience reflect on
their consumption and subsequent impact on the natural world.
Beached. Found- 2018
The photograph shows boulders covered
with moss, and a crushed can between the
boulders. The background is a section of a
tree. The photo was taken outside in the
morning. My eye is drawn to the can in-
between the rocks because it is a bright,
unnatural colour. I like how it seems nature
has won over man, as the boulders rise
above the litter and give the effect that they
are stronger. The artist has used a fast
shutter speed and the rocks to frame the
can, drawing focus to it and its unnatural
placement. I like that the colours in the image are mostly dull, which brings out the colour
and obscure nature of the can in-between the boulders.
When photographing for my project, I will take litter out of its surroundings and add it to
natural environments as Thompson has, to show the obscure nature of the litter in its
surroundings. I will also place items in different ways to convey whether nature or man has
triumphed over the other. This artist’s work showcases the juxtaposition between nature
and man, similar to the work of Richard Wentworth with litter in natural environments.

Own work, Barry Lewis and Richard

Wentworth

Own work, Pavilion first shoot

 Teddie Herrera

Artist Investigation 3- Barry Lewis:

Barry Lewis is an English photographer- I have taken images from multiple series’ to
inspire my work. The photographs are about the interaction between man, man-made
objects and nature. These images don’t show an overarching focus, more on the individual
aspects of man-made and nature.
Europe. Parade of plane trees leading to
The photograph shows a newly-made and the village of Tournissan, France.
deserted road lined with trees. This
photograph uses leading lines, the trees
frame the road perfectly in an aligned
fashion. Both nature and man-made are
symmetrical and uniform in this image. The
artist has used a long depth of field and a
fast shutter speed so that all elements of
the photo are in focus, which makes it
really effective.
When taking my photos, I will first take
some photos of a dilapidated urban environment, as can be seen in some of Lewis’
photos. I will then move onto the contrast between man-made and nature, looking at litter,
wildlife, animals and flowers. The artist’s work has inspired me to look at these contrasts,
as I can see them in the photographs I have chosen. Lewis’ photos inspire me, often
showing a positive interaction between man and nature.

Barry Lewis’ examples:

Own Work, Barry Lewis response

Things. Used mattress, Bristol, UK.

UK. Archway Tower, North London.

 Teddie Herrera

Historical Context:

The theme of man-made vs nature has been photographed and showcased over the
years. There is not an exact date of the first photograph taken because man vs nature is
often seen coincidentally in photographs. Throughout my research I have found many
photographers who photograph within my interest, mainly in the last 15 years. One of my
chosen artists, Barry Lewis, has been photographing for the last 40 years. His work
involves photographing man-made and nature separately, as well as simultaneously.
Richard Wentworth photographed some of his series in 2007, with Nerissa Cargill
Thompson in 2018. Away from series', other photographers throughout the last 20 years
have been photographing coincidences in nature and man, such as Justin Gardner in 2015
(lightning and fireworks).
Justin Gardner: Sparky Campanella:

Man v Nature: A storm cloud appears Avenue of the giants- 2009

during a firework display in Ibiza- 2015

Sparky Campanella photographed landscapes in 2014, featuring an element of man-

made, such as roads, brick walls and litter. I have also researched and discovered an
environmental photographer of the year website, showcasing man's interaction with the
natural world in 2021.
Key events and social influences such as climate change have really driven the theme of
man vs nature in photography over recent years. Many photographers choosing to
showcase our impact on the environment, from litter in landscapes to destruction of
forests. Photographers are protesting with photographs, trying to show the audience what
impact we have on the natural world. World wars were key events in the development,
whether accidental or planned, in capturing our impact on nature. War photographs
showed the destruction of man-kind, as well as its impact on grasses, fields, and the
environment.
Historical man vs nature photographs have been more focused on the contrast between
the beauties of the two themes. You can see this in elements of Barry Lewis' work. Moving
throughout history towards contemporary photography, the outlook of the interaction
between man-made and natural becomes colder and more poignant. Historical war
photographs were captured in black and white, but in contemporary society,
photographers choose to shoot in colour to capture the full effects of their theme.
 Teddie Herrera

Key Sources:

The most important influence on my

personal study is climate change and
man's impact on the natural world. In Own work, first shoot
man-made vs natural photography, we
can see a clear evolution between man
and nature, and how man is slowly
taking over and polluting our natural
spaces. Climate change is a really
important theme for my personal study
as it is showcased throughout my
photos, and I am using this project to
showcase our devastating impacts and
use photography as a voice to do so. In
my research of this source, I have
Own work, first shoot
discovered that "at least 3/4 of
climate change is man-made".
Pollution, global warming and climate
change are man-made, having huge
impacts on the world, leading to
extinction of species, melting ice caps,
etc. I have learnt through this quote
that we as a species have had a much
larger effect on nature than we
thought, and will use this knowledge
throughout my study to continue showcasing our effects on the world. I think it's vitally
important to have a recording of how the world changes throughout time, which we can
see through the development of man vs nature photography. Through my research of
these sources, I have developed my personal study into focusing more on the effects of
man-made objects on the natural world. I feel this is an important development of my
theme, and gives me a clearer direction and social argument to work on. My chosen artists
explore climate change and global warming in different ways, and through my shoots I am
developing their ways of photographing the theme.
A further key source for my personal study is
the work of Nerissa Cargill Thompson, who
"explores change over time". This
photographer has presented multiple series'
on the impact of litter on natural landscapes
such as beaches and parks. Thompson's work
is very influential and disheartening to look at,
whilst also empowering people to do more
about their impact on the environment.

Own work, response to Nerissa Cargill Thompson

 Teddie Herrera

Key Sources:

The work of Thompson has inspired me to develop my own response to her themes of
litter and destruction, and developing her ideas through my own work. I find this quote
influential and moving, whilst summarising similar opinions I have and aim to explore
throughout this project: "The coastal inspired textures show the waste becoming part
of our landscape. Nature will fight back but it is feeling less and less like a battle it
can win". Thompson conveys here in this quote that her photos aim to show nature's
losing battle with man, a sad reality. From this quote I aim to explore how coastal
environments have developed and begun to decay with litter and man-made destruction.
My third key source for my personal study is the Marine Conservation Society. The MCS
are a UK-wide organisation of people fighting against climate change and pollution in our
ocean. They work with communities, organisations and the local public to clean beaches,
shape government policies and work towards a healthier ocean. Information from the
MCS’s beach cleans and surveys highlights the threat to our ocean, and has been used to
campaign for policy and practice changes across the UK. This includes conservation
zones and carrier bag costs. The MCS are a hugely influential society, capable of
enforcing change that protects our livelihoods and future. They shine a spotlight on how
human waste and everyday life impacts our oceans. This source is incredibly influential on
my development of the personal study. It has informed me of the current condition of our
ocean, and inspired me to do my part in reducing the amount of litter I produce. “During
the 2020 Marine Conservation Society Great British Beach Clean, volunteers across
the UK found 425 pieces of litter per 100m on average of surveyed beach”. This
quote shows how important it is for society to reduce the amount of litter we produce and
waste, in turn polluting our ocean. The work of MCS has inspired me to shine a spotlight
on different types of litter across different days in one beach. I am going to combine the
ideas of Nerissa Cargill Thompson with the work of the society to photograph litter in
beaches, and then examine it in a light box to look at signs of wearing and how the ocean
has impacted it. This will allow me to reduce the amount of litter on the beaches as I will
recycle as much of the waste as I can, and dispose of the remainder responsibly.

Image from the MCS

Own image- final piece

Project Consolidation:
 Teddie Herrera

In my project so far, I have moved from photographing man and nature separately, to
combining them. These first few shoots have allowed me to refine and focus on my
camera skills. My past 3 shoots have moved onto different artists and subsequently
different types and ways of photographing man vs nature. My concept has developed into
focusing on the impacts of man on nature, within my first few shoots. This has helped me
to refine my shoots. My shoots have linked to my photographers as I have been replicating
their work within my surroundings in each shoot. I have been focusing on one
photographer within each shoot, allowing me to interpret their work. My work has been
similar to Nerissa Cargill Thompson in that I have used the beach as a natural surrounding
for one of my shoots, honing in on litter found there. My work has been different to
Thompson's though in the way that my third shoot focuses on litter in more obscure places
such as in trees.
Through this project so far, I have learnt about the impacts of litter and man-made objects
on the natural environment. I am going to develop my idea by taking the subject out of
context, and focusing in on details of litter within a light box, making it a still life series. I will
take my personal study further by experimenting and combining ideas. I will draw directly
from the work of the Marine Conservation Society, and begin looking in more depth at litter
and how I can showcase its impact on society and the ocean. I will do this harmoniously
with the development of my shoots on the work of Nerissa Cargill Thompson, as her work
links nicely to the direction I am going with the MCS.

Own work, response to Thompson

Own image- final piece

 Teddie Herrera

Personal Interpretation:

When beginning my personal study, I had limited information about the impacts of
humanity and society on the natural world. I had a passion to explore this theme in depth,
and to use my camera as a form of digital activism, to showcase our footprint in everyday
communities. Throughout this project, I have delved into climate change research,
examining in great detail the past, present and future. I have discovered Societies and
Campaigns doing their part to slow down the effects of climate change, and learnt the
impact individual change can have on a wider scale. I have explored the work of several
photographers, who capture the changing natural world as human society increases its
devastating impact upon it.
My findings were deeply concerning and
shocking, motivating me to progress deeper
into my theme and explore other avenues. As I
developed my personal study, I began to have
a more intricate focus on direct causes of
climate change- litter and plastic pollution.
Further researching and exploring my local
area, I was surprised about how damaged
wildlife and nature had become. My personal
interpretation of these findings was that action
needed to be taken to reverse or slow down my
community’s impact on the natural landscapes
around us. This helped me base my work on
awareness, as I believed that making people Own work, final piece
aware would lead to change.
When I developed and learnt more about the impacts of pollution, I was able to shape my
personal study into a specific focus. I made concrete links to a photographer that inspired
me and the direction I wanted to take, and began to create my own work. As I discussed
my theme with friends, family and members of my local community, my personal study
further evolved into capturing human impact in 2 dimensions. This took me to my final
piece, showcasing waste and destruction within nature, then examining it in close detail in
a human-made scenario. This also enabled me to do my part in decreasing litter in my
local area, as I ensured the items I photographed were appropriately disposed of.

Own work, final piece

 Teddie Herrera

Conclusion:

Throughout this project I have explored and

developed the intensity of human impact on the
natural world. Beginning this project, I explored my
initial schema of the natural world through the lens. I
explored my local areas of Seaford, Newhaven and
Brighton, discovering outstanding natural beauty
and capturing the essence of nature in
contemporary society. I began to discuss what
nature means in the context of man, and compiled a
series of compelling responses to man-made
structures surrounding my local community. Own work, initial first shoot

Beginning to examine the tantalising relationship between man-made and natural, I delved
into the work of Nerissa Cargill Thompson’s powerful responses to devastating human
impact on natural environments. I produced a series of work, reflecting and developing my
own emotional interpretation to my rapidly declining natural world. This comprised of
exploring beaches, harbour-sides, and urban environments devastated by our powerful
footprint. I extracted worn weathered clutter and litter and explored every depth and detail
under the harsh uncompromising lens and powerful light box. Distraught by the
uncompromising effect of human-kind on local landscapes, I examined the work of Richard
Wentworth and Barry Lewis, emulating their raw and poignant outcomes showcasing man
caging nature and screaming destruction over its’ beauty.
Climate change’s devastating impact on our natural world struck me as incredibly
compelling to explore and raise awareness of. My first source allowed me to examine
human impact, and I delved into statistics from government and climate change officials
websites to develop my breadth and depth of understanding for this project. As part of this
complex investigation into how the lens can play a part in this complicated, confounding
issue, my third source focused on the incredible work of the Marine Conservation Society;
a UK-wide network of people fighting against the devastating impacts climate change is
having to our natural world. My foremost influential second source, the work of Nerissa
Cargill Thompson, stretched my responses and personal depth to the world. My work has
been extremely successful and powerful in exploring what human and natural impact, and
has adapted between different artist’s work, styles of shooting and grown with my
knowledge.
This project has been vital for me to expose what it means to be human in modern society,
and delve into my emotional responses to the changing environment surrounding me.
Inspired by the work of my 3 key sources, this personal study gave me an opportunity to
use my camera as a form of activism, to promote the importance of looking after the
natural world. Delving further into research inspired me to explore multiple avenues of my
theme, and I feel confident and able to provide a detailed answer as to what man-made vs
nature means to me today. This being; the tantalising, rope pulling relationship between
giving and taking, complimenting and destroying, that shapes our existence.
 Teddie Herrera

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 Teddie Herrera

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 Teddie Herrera

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