Set aside the rush of daily life to unwind with a photobook that invites you into California’s diverse landscapes. Lukas Felzmann’s Across Ground beckons photographers and art lovers to sit down, silence distractions, and immerse themselves in its poetic exploration of nature and culture. This article offers reasons why you might want to make a peaceful retreat into the pages of this photobook.
Lukas Felzmann: A Visionary at the Intersection of Human and Nature
For over thirty years, Zurich-born, San Francisco-based artist Lukas Felzmann has created images that explore the intersection of the natural environment and human life. Now a professor at Stanford University, Felzmann’s work—spanning projects like Waters in Between and Gull JuJu—is celebrated for its meditative quality and conceptual depth, inviting viewers to reconsider their relationship with the world. His latest offering, Across Ground, is a dual-volume photobook that transforms California’s overlooked spaces into an epic landscape poem, blending nature, culture, and the photographic process itself.
Across Ground: A Dual Journey Through California’s Hinterlands
Across Ground, edited and photographed by Felzmann with contributions from Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Forrest Gander and photography historian Corey Keller, comprises two interconnected volumes: Across and Ground. Developed between 2017 and 2024, these books take readers on an allusive journey through all 58 counties of California, focusing on the liminal zones where nature and human activity converge. Using a large-format view camera, Felzmann traces the continent’s borders and the edges of small towns, creating a conceptual atlas of the state’s scarred landscapes.
Ground weaves together black-and-white topographical details into a sculptural, grid-bound series, capturing the quiet beauty of California’s hinterlands. Gander’s reflections on each site guide readers through this territory, adding a lyrical depth that complements Felzmann’s images. In Across, Felzmann roams freely, collecting signs of human presence—from foothills and highways to reflections in windows and floodplains. His lush sequences explore not just the notion of place but also the medium of photography itself, blending geographic exploration with a painterly, referential approach to the photographic process.
As Felzmann notes, “In my photographs, the geographic locations are secondary to their function as stage settings, as possibilities for something to unfold… Not only a journey across land but also across time and the process of photography. I think of photography as a sculptural process, where space and time have to be fitted onto pieces of film, which Peter Pfrunder once called ‘thin sheets of longing’—a description I find fitting because they can hold the very concrete and the only imaginable both at once.” Keller’s essay illuminates this visual language, deepening the viewer’s understanding of Felzmann’s artistry.
Design and Production: A Perfect Match of Content and Form
Published by Lars Müller Publishers, Across Ground is a testament to thoughtful design that mirrors Felzmann’s vision. The two volumes—Across (236 pages, 169 illustrations) and Ground (144 pages, 72 illustrations)—feature high-quality paper and a minimalist layout that allows each image to breathe, giving readers space to absorb the work’s quiet beauty. Wrapped in a solid hardbound cover with a partial jacket, the set’s high-end appeal makes it a striking addition to any coffee table, perfect for guests to peruse.
Our lives are dominated by digital noise and constant connectivity. The act of sitting with a photobook carries both physical and mental health benefits. Engaging with art—whether through reading, viewing, or reflecting—can reduce stress, lower anxiety, and boost cognitive function. For photographers, who often face long hours and high-pressure environments, this practice offers a form of active rest, replenishing creative energy while keeping attuned to the latest innovations and conversations.
Why Across Ground Belongs in Your Photobook Collection
For photographers and art lovers fascinated by the interplay of nature and culture, Across Ground is an essential addition to any collection. This photobook duo invites readers to slow down; put on a pot of tea or coffee, silence your phone, and settle in for an afternoon of quiet reflection with each volume. The stunning images, paired with poetic text and exquisite design, make it a standout, deserving a place on the coffee tables of photographers who appreciate a well-crafted body of work.
Images used with permission from Lars Müller Publishing
Kim Simpson is a photographer based in the West of Scotland. Her photographic practice is an exploration of the human experience, with a particular emphasis on themes of identity and belonging.
