Pine Valley, Oregon 2003

Robert Adams took this gelatin silver print in Pine Valley, Oregon. Look at that wall of trees, that screen of shrubbery, that mass of leaves. They bleed into each other, merging into an environment that almost repels the eye—you can’t quite see through to the other side. I can imagine Adams standing there, looking, deciding on the framing. What was he thinking? What feeling was he trying to convey, standing in this place, at that particular time? The black and white tonality gives it a documentary feel, but the composition is what's really talking. How has this composition shaped our experience of the image? How does it make us feel? Does it evoke a sense of mystery, tranquility, or maybe even a little bit of claustrophobia? All artists are having a conversation with one another across time. Robert Adams’ photography invites us to find new ways of seeing. And in that way, he's inspiring our creativity, asking us to consider our relationship with the natural world.