Neahkahnie Mountain, Oregon 2004

This is a photograph by Robert Adams, who was born in 1937, called Neahkahnie Mountain, Oregon. In it we see delicate, organic forms rendered in soft greyscale. It's as if Adams is in dialogue with the landscape, teasing out its subtleties. I can imagine him wandering through Neahkahnie Mountain, stopping to observe the interplay of light and shadow on these, presumably, leaves. The process of composing this shot—the angle, the depth of field—it’s all carefully considered. Those almost skeletal shapes against the bright background create a hauntingly beautiful contrast. Adams is known for his reflections on nature and culture. This image, for me, speaks to that tension: the organic shapes of the leaves versus the geometric precision of the photographic frame. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with what has come before, whether it’s the grand tradition of landscape painting or the sharp focus of modern photography.