SALT, by photographer Sandra Chandler is a master class in the Japanese concept of “Mitate”; To See with New Eyes.

Her photographic perspectives on the salt evaporation basins of San Francisco remind us that we should never be complacent about how we see the world around us.  Seeing with new eyes can uncover beauty where once we thought none existed.

Chandler’s book gets to the core of artistic exploration, it causes us to rethink, reapproach the known and the mundane in a way that excites and evokes.

Her skill at capturing color, line, texture, man, and nature, all come together in a way that compels the viewer not only to rethink this interesting landscape, but to rethink each of our environments through different lenses every day.

With Salt, Sandra Chandler designs a delicious taste of the intimate details of a special place even though she’s thousands of feet above it and we’re thousands of miles away from it.

‘SALT is a story of the land and landscape’

Chandler’s explanation is spot on… juggling abstraction and realism, colour and texture in new ways of perception.

Sandra’s architectural photographs are amazing. Her compositions are wonderful. She brings a story to her compositions. I honestly think she is one of the best architectural photographers I’ve seen. She doesn’t just display the building she reveals its essence, and its context. This is deliberate. And it goes to how much care she taken in expressing these buildings.

Sandy’s graphic design-oriented work is not only eye catching but it seemed much deeper defining her actual persona. By profession she is an interior designer and when she gets behind the camera, she composes images that appear to be tapestries.

When Sandy first shared this body of images with me, I immediately saw the wholeness of it; I saw the deep knowledge and depth of experience that Sandy brought to the work that came from her life as an interior designer. I saw an intelligent use of space and pattern; I saw great geometrics; I saw unusual but rich color choices. In other words, I walked into her world. And what a world it is! 

Sandy brought all of herself to her work and responded in an authentic, exciting way. There is nothing more that a seeking photographer can do to create meaningful work. 

Thank you for sharing your new book ‘Salt’. I love the cover; it is very graphic with delicious color and design. Such a fantastic collection of abstract designs. What a perfect subject for exploring shapes, lines, and color.