ABSTRACT
Photography is an essential tool in the visual assessment of landscapes for design. The relationship between photography and landscape architecture is ubiquitous. Discussed is the lack of critical discourse around the everyday use of photography, and thus a gap in knowledge about basic fundamentals. The absence of required courses in photography in landscape architecture curricula is discussed. Basic ideas of photography as an act of selection, that photography does not mimic how the eye and mind see, and the passive trust in photography to tell the truth are presented within the context of how photography is made and used in landscape architecture. The concept of Active Photography is introduced. Also debated is the idea of a universal language for photography, concluding that photography can be and mean many things to many different people. The discipline can embrace the vast complexity that exits when making and using photography, bringing to light an active a critical dialog about the practice.
