Equivalent 1930

Alfred Stieglitz made this photograph, Equivalent, using photography and paper. The clouds are like brushstrokes, right? And the sky, this deep ground, is almost like a canvas. I imagine him looking up, squinting, framing the world with his hands. Did he feel like a painter, chasing light and form? Maybe Stieglitz thought these images were equivalents for his feelings, turning fleeting emotions into something tangible. I bet he stood there a long time, watching. I wonder if he waited for the light to be just right, or just snapped the picture when he felt the urge. Painters and photographers, we're all just trying to capture something real, but the real thing escapes, so we keep trying and looking.