America’s Endangered Coasts: A Photographic Wake-Up Call by John Ganis

Photographer John Ganis takes a sobering look at the effects of climate change in his series America’s Endangered Coasts, from Texas to Maine. Traveling the Gulf and Atlantic coastlines, John documents low-lying areas that are being shaped, or reshaped, by rising sea levels, storm surges and increasingly frequent hurricanes. The images capture a sense of eerie normalcy, where communities continue as usual, even as the threat of future destruction hangs in the background.

Rather than lean into dramatic visuals, John’s approach is quiet and precise. He includes GPS coordinates and elevation data for each location, creating a kind of visual map of vulnerability. His photos show everything from still-damaged neighborhoods hit by storms like Katrina and Sandy, to fragile barrier islands that have become the sites of relentless development. The contrast between calm scenery and the invisible forces reshaping the land makes the work all the more unsettling.

This incredible body of work is collected in a book of the same name, which you can find here if you’re interested in exploring the full series.

More photography inspiration John Ganis’ website