Longmont, Colorado 1982 - 1992

Robert Adams made this gelatin silver print, Longmont, Colorado, sometime in his lifetime. The high key image is a close-up of a flower in a natural setting, maybe his garden. There are a few flowers in full bloom, petals extended, but most are still buds, and hanging their heads a little. I wonder what Adams was thinking when he crouched down to take this shot? Maybe he was trying to capture the fragility of life. The light is so soft, like a memory. It reminds me a little of Karl Blossfeldt’s botanical studies, but warmer, less clinical. Adams was part of a generation of photographers who were trying to capture the beauty of the American West, without ignoring its problems. To make pictures like this, so simple and still, takes real focus, real intention. Adams shows us that beauty can be found in the most unexpected places, even in the face of destruction. Artists like him make us think.