For more than 30 years, Richard Misrach has produced beautiful photographs of terrible subjects, focusing on man's often disastrous effect on the earth. Recently, he has turned his camera to water, photographing beaches, the ocean, sunbathers, and swimmers from a godlike viewpoint high above. With no horizon line, the vast expanses of sand or water envelop the viewer with a strangely disorienting view.

These powerful pictures partake of the sublime, producing astonishment, awe, and even terror. Hear the artist discuss On the Beach, his exhibition of over 20 photographs, which made its debut at the Art Institute on September 15.