Lewis Baltz (1945–2014) was a photographer and educator whose minimalist images examined the transformation of the landscape through suburban development, industrialization and human intervention. Born in Newport Beach, California, he earned a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1969 and an M.F.A. from Claremont Graduate School in 1971. Baltz became a leading figure in the New Topographics movement, participating in the landmark 1975 exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape at George Eastman House. His black-and-white photography of industrial parks, construction sites and suburban developments challenged traditional notions of landscape photography, revealing the often-overlooked consequences of modern development. Baltz taught as a visiting professor at UC Davis, where he influenced emerging photographers, including Uta Barth. His work is held in major collections including the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.