'Water' Photographs By Edward Burtynsky Dive Into The Treatment Of Our Most Precious Resource

An Intimate Look At Our Most Precious Resource

It's easy to forget how beautiful our blue marble can be. But photographer Edward Burtynsky's aquatic landscapes have given us a new appreciation for the water that surrounds us -- both its beauty, and its vulnerability.

From agriculture to aquaculture, water often takes the brunt of human expansion and our demand is severely outpacing supply in many areas. Burtynsky captures the industrialization of the resource in a series of striking photographs, simple titled "Water."

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Regarding the inspiration behind the project, he writes:

“While trying to accommodate the growing needs of an expanding, and very thirsty civilization, we are reshaping the Earth in colossal ways. In this new and powerful role over the planet, we are also capable of engineering our own demise. We have to learn to think more long-term about the consequences of what we are doing, while we are doing it. My hope is that these pictures will stimulate a process of thinking about something essential to our survival; something we often take for granted—until it’s gone.”

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Burtynsky's work is currently on display in both the Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery and the Howard Greenberg Gallery in New York City. For now, take a look at more of his photos below.

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Before You Go

Sandy Cay

The Earth From Above

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