Clatsop Beach, Oregon 1999

Robert Adams made this photograph, Clatsop Beach, Oregon, on photographic paper. There’s a balance here, a stillness that comes from the grey scale. Look at the detail in the sky, how it meets the ocean. It feels almost soft, like the world is breathing. But the figure, that’s where the photograph comes alive. The stripey top creates a beautiful set of horizontal lines against the vast expanse of the ocean. The figure is the key to the whole thing, they draw you into the scene. The gesture of the arm is ambiguous, are they reaching or falling? The tire tracks on the beach add another layer, it’s a record of movement, a trace of something that's already happened. Robert Adams reminds me a little of Ed Ruscha, both so interested in the everyday. There’s no clear message, just a quiet invitation to look, feel, and think. That’s what makes it stick with you.