J. Nilsen Laurvik c. 1911

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph of J. Nilsen Laurvik, but we don’t know exactly when. The tones are so soft here, a real study in atmosphere. Stieglitz coaxes a lot of information from a restrained palette, and it feels more intuitive than technical. What’s great about photography as a medium is its deceptive nature, the way it seems to simply record what's there, but is actually full of choices. It’s a process of selecting what to show, deciding on a frame, manipulating light and shadow. Here, the soft focus lends an almost painterly effect, turning the subject into a figure in a dream. Think about the angle of Laurvik’s hat. See how it mirrors the line of his shoulders? These small details, this careful orchestration, make me think of other photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, who also understood the power of suggestion, and the beauty of imperfection. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, a constant back-and-forth between seeing and feeling.