The American sightseer
Couple with matching shirts, Crater Lake National Park, Ore., 1980.
Photographer Roger Minick has been photographing American tourists off and on for more than 30 years, first in the American West and then across the country.
Minick self-published a book of the images, which he calls "Sightseer."
Brooklyn Bridge, New York, 2000
Couple with matching T-Shirts on the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, 2000
Minick says he started the project while teaching a landscape photography class at Yosemite National Park's Glacier Point.
"I became aware of something else going on at the overlook: waves of tourists were continually arriving at the overlook’s parking lot in cars, buses and motor homes, thrusting their way through this gauntlet of photographers not only for a clear view of the famous vista but also for the obligatory snapshot of themselves proving they were there.
"After witnessing this recurring bit of theater over several days, I found myself becoming increasingly fascinated with these visitors, recognizing what a striking cross section of humanity they were. I began to see the visitors as having a specific humanity, their own classification, a genus––Sightseer Americanus, if you will."
Yosemite National Park, 1980
Woman with scarf at Inspiration Point, Yosemite National Park, Calif., 1980
Niagara Falls, Canada, 1998
Couple at Niagara Falls, Canada, 1998
"I was hoping to keep my approach with the second go-around consistent with the 1980s images––using the same camera, finding a film as similar to the earlier Kodacolor, same camera-mounted flash, and similar juxtapositioning for scale and, hopefully, for irony," Minick said.
Yellowstone National Park, 1980
Boy with feathered headdress at Lower Falls Overlook, Yellowstone National Park, 1980
Lincoln Memorial, 1999
Girl at the Lincoln Monument, Washington, D.C., 1999
Bryce Canyon, Utah, 1980
Girls in matching pink at Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, 1980
Cadillac Ranch, Texas, 1998
Young couple at Cadillac Ranch, Tex., 1998
Minick: "Kodak stopped making Kodacolor 400 so I was forced to use Kodak Portra HC 400, which was pretty close in palette."
Bryce Canyon, Utah,1980
Man with dog at Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, 1980
Minick: "Though I was pleased with what I did in the East, I still think there is something more epic about the American West as backdrop."
Peaks of Otter, Blue Ridge Parkway, 1999
Birder at Peaks of Otter, Blue Ridge Parkway, Va., 1999
Canyonlands, Utah, 1980
Couple at Canyonlands National Park, Utah, 1980
New York City, 2000
Kissing couple atop the Empire State Building, New York City, 2000
Grand Canyon, 1980
Woman with binoculars at South Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., 1980
Minick: "I've always admired Diane Arbus and August Sander's work, though, of the two, only Arbus used flash."
Cadillac Ranch, Texas, 1998
Man with tattoos at Cadillac Ranch, Texas, 1998
Grand Tetons, 1980
Family at Grand Tetons National Park, Wyo., 1980
Mount Rushmore, 1998
Family at Mt. Rushmore, S.D., 1998
Yosemite National Park, 1980
Man at Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, 1980
The Alamo, Texas, 1999
Man at The Alamo, Tex., 1999
Yellowstone National Park, 1980
Photographing Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., 1980
Gettysburg, Pa., 1999
Gettysburg National Military Park, Pa., 1999
Yellowstone National Park, 1980
Couple with Boy and Dog, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., 1980
New Mexico, 2000
Family at Very Large Array Telescopes, N.M., 2000
Yellowstone National Park, 1980
Twins with matching outfits at Lower Falls Overlook, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., 1980
New Orleans, Louisiana, 2000
Couple at Jackson Square, New Orleans, La., 2000
Bryce Canyon, Utah, 1981
Uncle and nephew at Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, 1981
Great Smokey Mountains National Park, 1999
Three women at overlook, Great Smokey Mountains National Park, N.C., 1999
Glacier National Park, 1981
Woman photographing at Many Glaciers Hotel, Glacier National Park, Mont., 1981
Niagara Falls, 1999
Mennonites at Overlook, Niagara Falls State Park, N.Y., 1999
Monument Valley, Utah, 1980
Couple at Monument Valley, Utah, 1980
Washington, D.C., 1999
"The Awakening," Haynes Point, Washington, D.C., 1999
Monument Valley, 1980
Woman with Hawaiian shirt at Monument Valley, Utah, 1980
Cape Canaveral, Florida, 2000
Family at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla., 2000
Yellowstone National Park, 1980
Mother and Son at Minerva's Terrace, Yellowstone National Park, Wyo., 1980
Carlsbad, California, 2000
Man at New York City skyline, Legoland, Carlsbad, Calif., 2000
Minick has self-published the work as a book and can also be seen on his website dedicated to the project.