Reno--Sparks, looking South Possibly 1977 - 1978

This black and white photograph shows Reno-Sparks looking South, it was shot by Lewis Baltz. I wonder what the act of photographing was like for him? Baltz, who was interested in minimalism, captured this landscape with clarity and starkness; a world of bare surfaces, of buildings in the distance, and open land without softening. This view of Reno-Sparks is kind of bleak and unsentimental. You can see it in the grey tones, the way the light flattens everything, and the way the land leads to the horizon. It reminds me of the Bechers' photographs of industrial structures. There's something so compelling about this. The artist invites us to contemplate the complexities and contradictions of the modern landscape.