John TELFORD

John Telford (American, 1944-2019), Light Reflections, Silver Sands, 1979, gelatin silver print.

Light Reflection, Silver Sands from The Great Salt Lake Portfolio, 1979
Gelatin silver print on paper

John Telford attended the University of Utah, where he received his master's in fine arts degree before teaching at Brigham Young University for the majority of his career.
The Great Salt Lake Portfolio is one of Telford's best-known series, which was published with a foreword by Pulitzer Prize winner Wallace Stegner (1909-1993). Stegner was captivated by the series. In an essay called "Xanadu by the Salt Flats" he wrote that Telford's photographs"capture miraculously the moody light and startling contrasts of a lake that belongs on the moon."

John Telford (American, 1944-2019), Pilings, South Shore, 1979, gelatin silver print.

Pilings, South Shore from The Great Salt Lake Portfolio, 1979
Gelatin silver print on paper

The Great Salt Lake has long been a site of modern infrastructure and development. As Telford's photographs illustrate, both active and remnant construction lines the lake – including the ghostly pilings that once supported a railroad that cut across from Ogden to the West Desert.
What do you think lies outside the frames of these photographs? Why do you think Telford chose these compositions?

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