Radek Skrivanek - Photographer

While reading the Sep-Oct 2005 issue of LensWork, I discovered photographer Radek Skrivanek. He was born and raised in the Czech Republic, but immigrated to the US in 1989. He received his degree from Tufts University in 1996 and is now teaching photography in San Francisco. The images I viewed in LensWork are from his Aral Sea portfolio. The Aral Sea has lost more than half its size and 2/3 of its volume due to redirection of water for irrigation purposes. The toning of the images cause make the viewer feel the loss of this very important body of water to the people of the region. His use of the large format allows the viewer to see details that would otherwise be lost in a smaller format. I am particularly moved by the images of the stranded ships, with no water in sight.