Poplars, Lake George 1933

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph of poplars at Lake George. It’s a gelatin silver print, a process that gives a really rich, smooth tonal range from dark to light. I can imagine Stieglitz out there, setting up his camera, feeling the air, noticing the way the light hits those tall, skinny trees against the backdrop of that sky. It’s a landscape, sure, but it’s also about how the light and shadow create a kind of emotional space. Look how the poplars reach up, almost like they're trying to touch the sky. There’s something about the textures—the soft, blurred leaves against the stark, bare branches—that feels both intimate and expansive. It reminds me of the paintings of Georgia O'Keefe, his wife, where she made landscapes that feel like emotions. Artists are always in conversation, aren't they? Stieglitz captures a moment, a feeling, and invites us to pause and really see. And maybe feel a little too.