Seneca Lake, New York 1973

Roger Mertin made this photograph of Seneca Lake, New York, using black and white film. The tones in this image range from almost pure white to deep black, but it's the infinite gradations of gray that really make this picture sing. The texture of the bark is so tactile, you can almost feel the rough ridges and deep furrows with your fingertips. Mertin clearly knew how to coax the most out of his medium. There's this dance between detail and abstraction, especially in the foreground. The way the light catches the trunk of the tree, it’s like a map, or a face, full of character and stories. I'm reminded of Frederick Sommer, who used the starkness of black and white to uncover a world of mystery. Like Sommer, Mertin seems to be saying that art isn't just about seeing, it's about feeling, and about letting the world seep into you.