Landscape nominee

Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska is the most remote national park in the U.S, with no roads. It remains virtually unchanged except by the forces of nature. These images are part of my journey into the Arctic Circle, exploring this majestic and pristine American National Park — one that will soon be opened up for industrial mining. This is a last glimpse of the endangered landscape.

joSon was born in the Philippines. At the age of ten, he was sent to live with his mother’s family in Vietnam, where he was educated in a Buddhist temple throughout most of his teen years in preparation for becoming a monk. “I thought that was my calling long before I saw life through the viewfinder,” joSon continues, “…but the truth is, I have never left the monkhood. I just left the temple. You can see that very clearly in my work today – meditations on the beauty to be found in the simplest of forms.”

joSon's work has appeared in ads and collected by clients such as Samsung, United Nations, Target, Yahoo DSL, Time Warner Studio, HSBC, IBM-China, ABC Network, Emirates Airlines, Random House, and magazines, Scientific American, Conde Nast Traveler, Outside, and Vogue. He won awards from PDN, Communication Art, American Photography, Graphis, Prix de la Photographie, Drone Photo Award, and American photography.