Sitka spruce, Cape Blanco State Park, Curry County, Oregon 1999 - 2003

This black and white photograph by Robert Adams captures a Sitka spruce in Oregon. The tree stands monumental, its branches reaching out like a nervous system exposed. I can imagine Adams, framing the shot, stepping back, squinting, adjusting, trying to capture the tree's essence. As a painter, I get that search. That need to make sense of something sprawling and complex. The tones here are soft, with a gentle contrast that feels like a whisper. It’s not dramatic. The tree is solid, but the light seems to dissolve its edges. It's like he's not just photographing a tree, but the very act of seeing itself. The act of attending to something. Adams spent a long time looking at things that a lot of people didn’t think were beautiful. In some ways, that's what all artists do. This photograph reminds us that beauty exists in plain sight, waiting for us to notice.