Several years ago, a self-published photography book could cost an arm and a leg to produce, carrying the potential to be so costly as to deter artists from attempting the leap of photographic publication. But low and behold came the arrival of the print-on-demand book - an exciting new avenue for emerging or mid-career photographers hoping to show their work to a wider audience. In recent years, the photography book business has seen self-published titles overwhelm the market - I see many of these titles on a weekly basis, few of which have caught my eye with regards to content and image quality the way Phil Underdown's limited edition Grassland has. It is exciting to see a print-on-demand publication emerge with the characteristics and individuality only larger publishers are typically able to achieve.

Grassland consists of 22 full-page c-prints and one digital print tipped in on the inside cover, creating a suburb quality that is often lacking in POD titles. The book itself operates as a 4x6 object, giving the viewer a sense of intimate connection - a quality Underdown obviously possessed while taking these images. And while the print-on-demand topic is a subject worthy of a full discourse unto itself, in this context I'll go no further than to say that I do believe Underdown's body of work has been given the treatment it deserves in the quality and format of this little gem.




Underdown photographed the 500-acre expanse of the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge for four years. Once a wetland, the SGNWR was leveled and turned into an airstrip in the 1940s, becoming an artificial grassland. During the 1990s the land was once again allowed to operate in a natural (although hybrid) state of existence. The airstrip was abandoned and the trees and plants once prevalent were able to again become part of the landscape. The grassland now exists in several states - there are obvious remnants of man's presence, as well as the existence of new and old vegetation and wildlife. One can only imagine the mental state of the photographer exploring this landscape with the knowledge of its past and present realities. Underdown's images are informative, but more importantly they go far beyond documentary - existing (as does the landscape) in a fleeting and altered state.



Even though small in size, the brilliance of the prints induces contemplation. The environmental atmosphere - often laden with an early morning fog - suggests a mystery to a land existing as both new and old. An image of a deer carcass gives the viewer a sense of a modified and fragile ecosystem, but also tells a story of the strength of a land enduring change. Even the simplicity of a centered horizon line and tree suggests new growth and prevalence. I have spent countless moments with these images - and they continue to consume my notions of what a landscape is and can be. Balancing between informative and ephemeral, Grassland proves that contemporary landscape photography is alive and well. —Antone Dolezal