Poplar—Lake George 1937

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, Poplar—Lake George, sometime in his life. The tones are incredible; a real study of light and dark which is what photography, in its essence, is all about. I think about the process of making this picture – the darkroom, the chemicals, the waiting – it’s so different from our world of instant images. There is an incredible stillness to the image. Look at the texture of the leaves on the central tree, how they catch the light. Then notice how the road invites you in, only to be confronted by shadow and an almost impenetrable thicket of trees. There is something so painterly in the composition – I am reminded of Corot, but with the volume turned down. Stieglitz was part of a conversation about what photography could be as an art form and whether it could attain the same status as painting. Ultimately this question feels irrelevant. This photograph is just beautiful.