France Saltscapes

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Dede Pickering, United States
• Date of Photograph
  2026
• Website
  https://www.dedepickering.com/
• Instagram
  dedepickering

Photographed from a helicopter during a week-long aerial journey around France, this series explores the remarkable geometry of the country's salt flats. From above, evaporation ponds become luminous compositions of line, texture, and color, shaped by the interplay of water, salt, light, and human intervention. Removed from their geographic context, these landscapes transform into striking abstractions, revealing an unexpected harmony between industry and nature.

Dede Pickering is an American photographer whose work explores the relationship between place, culture, and the natural world. A lifelong traveler, she has photographed across more than 100 countries and seven continents. Her work ranges from intimate portraits and cultural photography to abstract aerial landscapes, reflecting a continued curiosity about how place can be experienced from both the ground and the air.