Lake George from the Hill 1932

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph of Lake George, probably with a large format camera, at some point in his career. It's all about atmospheric perspective, seeing how things fade into the distance. Looking at the soft, blended tones, you almost feel like you’re looking at a charcoal drawing instead of a photograph. The way the light hits the tall grass in the foreground and the subtle gradations in the sky are so carefully observed. The way the clouds cling to the mountain in the background is so evocative. That small tree in the middle ground is so perfectly placed, it anchors the whole composition. It's just a little visual hiccup, and that’s what makes it so interesting. Stieglitz was part of the Photo-Secession movement, and you can see how he’s trying to make photography look more like painting. Think of the Tonalists, like James McNeil Whistler, who were exploring similar ideas in paint. Ultimately, art is about seeing and feeling, no matter the medium.