New York Skyline in a Lobby, N.Y.C. 1971

Diane Arbus made this photograph, 'New York Skyline in a Lobby, N.Y.C.', using black and white film. What strikes me is the picture within a picture. It makes me wonder about the layers of reality, and how a scene can be both real and staged at the same time. I think that Arbus was drawn to the way the skyline backdrop contrasts with the domestic setting. The city feels so distant, almost like a dream, yet it's right there, filling the background. I picture Arbus setting up her camera, playing with the light, and finding the perfect angle to capture this strange juxtaposition. There's a quiet tension in this photo, a push and pull between inside and outside, real and artificial. It reminds me that what we see is always a construction, a mix of what's there and how we choose to frame it.