Published in conjunction with a 1978 exhibition at San Francisco’s Grapestake Gallery, this eponymous monograph is a hauntingly beautiful collection of 54 duotone plates. The images focus on monolithic natural features—cacti, palm trees, and boulders—illuminated by an intense strobe light against the pitch-black desert night. Strikingly, the volume contains no text other than the spine information, allowing the surreal, almost forensic quality of the flash-lit landscapes to speak for themselves. It is a cornerstone of Misrach’s career, marking his shift from social documentary to the landscape work that brought him international acclaim.
