Australian born nature and Landscape photographer. Spent a year driving around America in 1984, shooting images in all 50 states. Lik shoots in large format and panoramic camera format. Creating superb quality images.
Probably the best of the "coffee table" landscape photographers in the world. His work are balanced, beautifully lit, consisting of mainly single images which have been shown all over the world and in multiple publications. His work is purely aesthetic but commercially several of his images have sold for over a $1 million dollars and according to "Times" magazine (1) an image of Slot Canyon in Arizona was sold for $6.5 million dollars making it the most expensive image ever sold.
"Phantom" was taken in "Antelope Canyon" on Navajo land near Paige Arizona. If you can get access to this very protected and religiously important property in a small group at the correct time of day, obtaining this style of photograph is not too difficult, even for a keen amateur. The problem is the Navajo sell out multiple tours day after day to see this natural wonder.
I was at this location for a couple of days in 2020 , but did not enter as the crowds were very busy and to book a private tour required a great deal of notice and money sadly. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful natural sights in the world and as been well photographed. There are several galleries in "Sundance" Utah selling high quality, large format prints for a few hundred dollars each of similar quality to Lik's images.
The above image is "Horseshoe Canyon" in Paige, Arizona. Like Antelope canyon, a very frequented tourist spot and within a few miles of each other. The difference between Lik shot and many others taken by professionals and keen amateurs is the use of the extreme wide angle lens, aligned with the beautiful light from sunrise and sunset. This is a location on the tourist map of natural beauty, but perfectly photographed.
This image is stunning and displays the photographic brilliance of Lik. Beautiful balance, lines and stunning colours.
This shows Lik's connection to nature. His images have natural balance and shape, the lighting is always perfect and he selects his colours so well.
This is my favourite of this selection of Lik's images. Personally it is not just about aesthetics. The track through the centre of the corn field, full moon and clever lighting, creates an almost "Gothic" feel to this image. Incredibly haunting and the kind of image that requires to be viewed multiple times to be understood.
Peter Lik is a stunning, "coffee table" landscape photographer. I feel he is not an artist but record art. For what he shoots is what he views before him. However this is a man who understands natural beauty and light. Driving around in a camper van for a year shows a love of photography and perseverance that deserves the commercial success he has attained.
Reference
(1) https://time.com/3628565/most-expensive-photo-peter-lik/ - accessed 2.6.20
information - https://lik.com/ - accessed 2.6.20