In the series Land Speak of the John Muir Trail, Jason Koster tunes into the landscape while working in a panoramic format to create a body of conceptual works that reimagines how we perceive the landscape.
In 2018, Koster embarked on a 23-day, 250-mile backpacking journey along the legendary John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.
Northbound, the JMT begins at the summit of Mount Whitney at 14,505 feet, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, and extends through the Ansel Adams Wilderness and Yosemite National Park. The JMT is considered a strenuous hike, equivalent to hiking the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim six times. The journey required incredible endurance and intricate logistics to complete.
Koster’s use of image stitching to extend the camera’s field of view pushes the final image beyond the limitations of a camera with a traditional fixed perspective. As Koster looks over a scene to photograph, the question emerges: Where does this image start, and where does it stop? Where do the features of the landscape begin and end their interaction with one another? The limitless crop afforded by image stitching allows Koster to define the beginning and end specific to each scene without sacrificing image quality. In fact, stitching multiple images together increases the quality of the finished image well beyond that of most cameras.
Koster delivers the conceptual aspect of the series through heartfelt, abstract image titles, drawing the viewer in with suggestions of human-like struggle and vulnerability between the main characters in the landscape, inviting the viewer to humanize the features of the landscape.
Modest in tone, the series maintains an honesty and calmness throughout, as much of Koster’s work is intended to be meditative. A stark, stylized treatment creates visual space for the viewer to disconnect from the traditional landscape and explore the emotions evoked by the titles. Koster’s conceptual approach is reinforced through his treatment of the skies, lakes, and snow.
Koster leaves only a suggestion of clouds and sky, keeping the viewer’s eye focused on the interactions occurring within the landscape.
“Drama in the heavens is distracting when it is the Earth that is my subject.”
Lakes have been darkened to near-black, becoming markers of deep emotion – emotion assigned by the viewer.
The snow has been brightened to an infinite white and likewise serves as an emotional marker, though one that may contrast with the heavier emotions assigned to the lakes.
Since the beginning of photography, humanity has documented the awe-inspiring views of Earth’s landscapes. Through framing and image titles, Koster expands upon that tradition and introduces the concept of an implied, humanized narrative between the features of the land—a narrative that encourages a unique experience of empathy for the landscape while also creating a space for personal reflection.
