Reflecting on the work, Macdonald wrote: “The Tees Estuary is visually extremely exciting. Its richness, in part, arises from the inherent contrasts of the natural environment against man-made structures – of the vast sphere of sky, serene or dramatic, against the horizontal flatness of lowland space punctuated by verticals as power stations, fractionating columns, blast furnaces and estuarine lights. The vast expanse of water reflects a permeating light which clothes objects and landscape in a unique brightness, beautiful and sensational, a delight to photographers and film-makers alike.”

Macdonald’s series stands as a careful, considered document of a landscape both altered and animated by industry. His images avoid nostalgia, instead inviting the viewer to look closely at the forms and tensions that define the estuary. As with his earlier and later work, the project reflects a long-term commitment to place and to recording the evolving relationships between people, land and labour.

Ian Macdonald, born in 1946 in Middlesbrough, is a British photographer whose work is deeply rooted in the landscapes and communities of the North East of England.

Since 1968, Ian Macdonald has consistently photographed the people and places of Teesside, one of Europe’s most heavily industrialised area in the Northeast of England - his photographs capturing both the physical structures of industry and the people who lived and worked within them. He has built an extensive body of work that reflects the changing character of the region, from shipyards and steelworks to coastal villages and open landscapes. Creating images that are not just records of place, but also studies of resilience, labour, and the passage of time.