The use of photography to explore nature is deeply rooted in the early days of photography’s history. This can be seen in various examples, such as the photogenic plant drawings by the pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, the botanical cyanotypes created by Anna Atkins, and the late 19th-century photographs of the vast natural landscapes in North America, captured by American explorer photographers. In these instances, the connection between this modern medium and the desire to document or portray nature was complex and multifaceted. The wonder of unspoiled nature was often intertwined with a desire to dominate these spaces. The act of photographing became a form of appropriation, anticipating the human alteration and conquest that would follow.
Today, humanity’s impact on the natural world has reached a point that we all know is dramatic, marking an era in which our energy-intensive and extractive activities heavily influence the planet. In addition, our world is not only shaped by physical buildings and infrastructure but also by virtual environments and the role of images in constructing the so-called "iconosphere"—a hybrid space in which our bodies and the places we inhabit are increasingly intertwined with floating icons on the screens of our devices.
Given this context, what relationship can younger generations—who grew up after these transformations—have with the concept of nature itself? The students who sought to answer this question have come to various conclusions, often centering on a search for simplicity. From a nostalgic longing to reconnect with nature, to a kind of retreat where natural spaces near human settlements become sources of imagination and contemplation; from a direct, physical connection to the environment that is both tangible and symbolic, to the exploration of rural communities that still maintain a certain bond with the land, plants, and animals, and even to the idea of nature reclaiming ground where human influence weakens. A gently narrative tone seems to unify these "natural tales," which, like all stories, are fundamentally human. Yet, they seek to find a subtle harmony, attempting to move past the traditional view of the human-nature relationship as a simple dichotomy.
