Paul Rosenfeld 1925

This gelatin silver print is a portrait of Paul Rosenfeld, captured by Alfred Stieglitz at an unknown date. Look at that smile, the glint in his eyes. I can feel Stieglitz right there, in the moment, urging Rosenfeld to relax, to be himself. There's a real intimacy in this image. The texture of Rosenfeld’s sweater is almost palpable, you know? It’s incredible how Stieglitz coaxes so much detail and depth out of the monochrome. For me, Stieglitz's photographs are always about that exchange, a kind of dance between photographer and subject. I think about the darkroom, the hours spent perfecting the print, the careful dodging and burning to bring out the nuances of light and shadow. Like painters, photographers are always in dialogue with one another, pushing boundaries, and exploring new ways of seeing. And it’s that spirit of experimentation, that willingness to embrace the unpredictable, which makes art so vital and alive.