Beautiful Landscapes Taken From the Comfort of a Computer

Beautiful Landscapes Taken From the Comfort of a Computer

While thousands of adventurers and photographers explore the far reaches of our planet forever looking for that next great vista, Marcus DeSieno spends hours scouring over 10,000 traffic and weather cams quietly watching some of the world's most remote and beautiful places. "I’ve watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon, seen waves crashing into Hawaii, watched storms passing over [the Swiss Alps],” DeSieno told Wired. “It’s all from the comfort of my desk chair.”

DeSieno creates each image in his photo series "Surveillance Landscapes" by capturing a photo of a screengrab using a waxed-paper negative on a large format camera, then developing them into pigment prints. This process gives the images a unique, almost ethereal quality that is reminiscent of 19th century landscape photographers.

DeSieno is no stranger to using photography in a bizarre approach to document the world around us, as seen in his previous series "Parasites" and "Cosmos." With "Parasites" he collected 1,000's of parasite specimens, scanned them with an electron microscope, and developed prints using 19th century darkroom techniques. In "Cosmos" he took things even further, collecting and growing bacteria on slides made from images taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. Each new series is a catalog of images documenting a unique view of the world around us.

As we have started to become accustomed to having cameras everywhere and feeling like big brother is always watching, the great outdoors for many is seen as a safe space. An escape from the crowds and noise of our daily lives seemingly free of prying eyes. However, while you're enjoying the solitude, someone like DeSieno may just be watching you from behind his computer.

All images used with permission.

[via Wired]

Michael DeStefano's picture

Michael DeStefano is a commercial/editorial photographer focusing on Outdoor Lifestyle and Adventure. Based in Boston, MA he combines his passion for outdoor sports like climbing and surfing into his work. When not traveling or outdoors he is often found geeking out over new tech gadgets.

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3 Comments

He took the blue pill.

And forgot to swallow it, by the looks of it :/

Now that's something else indeed. :D Great find!