Photographers

Lucas Foglia (born 1983) is an American fine‑art photographer known for poetic, research‑driven visual narratives at the intersection of humans and the natural world. Raised on a small family farm in rural Long Island by parents involved in the back‑to‑the‑land movement, Foglia grew up in an environment where self‑sufficiency coexisted with modern convenience—an early paradox that shaped his lifelong interest in how people inhabit, use, and imagine the land. He received his BFA from Brown University in 2005 and his MFA from Yale University in 2010.

His work merges documentary practice with lyrical portraiture and landscape imagery, exploring belief systems, environmental change, and the evolving relationship between wilderness and society. Foglia’s early series *A Natural Order* (2012) examines off‑the‑grid communities across the southeastern United States, presenting nuanced portrayals of people seeking self‑sufficient lives outside mainstream culture. His second book, *Frontcountry* (2014), juxtaposes ranching and mining economies in the contemporary American West, revealing a region where mythic ideals of wildness collide with resource extraction.

Foglia’s acclaimed book *Human Nature* (2017) extends this inquiry globally, documenting scientists, government labs, conservationists, and individuals who confront climate change and its consequences. More recent publications include *Summer After* (2021), a project rooted in post‑9/11 New York, and forthcoming books such as *Living on Lava* (2024) and *Constant Bloom* (2025). In 2024 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship for a project tracing the world’s longest butterfly migration as a metaphor for interconnectedness across borders.

Foglia’s photographs have been exhibited in leading institutions including Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the International Center of Photography, SFMOMA, and the Victoria & Albert Museum. His prints are held in major public collections worldwide. In addition to gallery and museum work, Foglia frequently collaborates with NGOs, environmental organizations, and magazines such as National Geographic, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The New York Times Magazine. His practice bridges art and advocacy, combining visual storytelling with a commitment to ecological awareness.