Equivalent 1928

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, Equivalent, using a camera and darkroom techniques. The final image is black and white, and tonally complex. The choice of photography as a medium is critical here: Stieglitz was deeply involved in promoting it as a fine art, equal to painting and sculpture. He wanted to make work that was as expressive as possible. The "Equivalents" series, of which this is a part, demonstrates this ambition, as Stieglitz turned his lens to the sky, capturing cloud formations with a formal precision. He felt the clouds represented his own internal states; the forms were equivalent to his feelings. Photography, especially at this time, required great skill and attention to detail. The final product, whether a portrait or landscape, reflects not only the subject, but the photographer's own labor and artistic vision. With the Equivalents series, Stieglitz was arguing for photography's status as a high art form, capable of expressing deep emotion and profound ideas.