Longmont, Colorado 1982 - 1992

Robert Adams made this photograph, Longmont, Colorado, using a camera and film. The greyscale reminds me of pencil on paper, and the process is the same: light hits the object, light is captured, and then fixed. But it also brings to mind the dust bowl era, a world of hardship. There’s a tension in the image: the hard geometry of the house and paving versus the soft, organic textures of the dog, the grass, the foliage. The dog is the subject, but the image is about the relationship between nature and the built environment. Look at the way the light falls, creating these dark shadows that pull your eye into the corner. The negative space is just as important as the positive space. This photograph reminds me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who also documented the industrial landscape. But Adams brings a different sensibility, a sense of humanity and connection to the land. It's a quiet photograph, but it speaks volumes.