The Blue Sky – Dana Steichen 1923

Edward Steichen made this photograph, "The Blue Sky – Dana Steichen", using gelatin silver print. It's dreamlike. There’s something so interesting about the way this image is created - it’s hazy and sepia-toned, like a memory half-forgotten. The photograph is almost entirely one colour - the warmth of summer reflected in the model’s skin and the dried grass all around. The artist’s choice to shoot from this angle, surrounded by the long grass, gives such an intimate point of view. I keep thinking about how the soft light catches the blades of grass, turning them into these blurred lines that dance around the face of the woman. Notice how her hands are gently framing her face, almost as if she's protecting herself, or inviting us in closer. The choice of tone lends the scene a feeling of nostalgia, hinting at something old and precious. It reminds me a little of Julia Margaret Cameron's portraiture, that willingness to embrace softness, and the beauty of the everyday. As with Cameron’s photos, it celebrates the potential of art to blur the boundaries between fact and fiction, and to make the everyday sublime.