Equivalent, from Set A (Third Set, Print 3) 1929

Alfred Stieglitz made this gelatin silver print, "Equivalent", as part of a series, and it is currently housed at the Art Institute of Chicago. The wispy, tonal variations remind me of working with soft charcoal, building up layers to create subtle gradations. There's something so simple and immediate about the image; it's a moment captured, yet it feels timeless. You could just dive right into the photograph, feel the weight of the clouds and almost smell the rain. Look at that section on the left where the clouds are more dense and textured – it’s like a chaotic jumble, a mass of formless shapes. And the light! The way it filters through, almost blinding, is really quite something. Stieglitz was always pushing boundaries and questioning the role of photography as an art form; he wanted to elevate photography to the same level as painting or sculpture. It's interesting to consider the parallels between his work and that of Georgia O'Keeffe, his wife, and another artist who captured the essence of the American landscape with such clarity and vision.