Los Angeles, 1975 (US-261/18a)

In the 1970s, many photographers turned their eye not toward the epic landscapes of the American wilderness but to the cement sprawl of urban America. Grant Mudford’s photographs reveal the oddities and dry humor found in these vistas. Australian by birth, Mudford was poised to depict the elements that seemed alien or out of place amid the city. In this photograph, he emphasizes the lonely distance between the sign, a skinny sapling, and a fire hydrant. Yet, his large-scale, brilliantly rich black-and-white prints exhibit a microscopic sharpness that renders his subjects with astonishing beauty.