Weld County, Colorado 1984

Robert Adams captured this image of Weld County, Colorado with his camera and lens – turning a real scene into a photograph. I can imagine Adams standing in that bare field, looking up. He wants us to consider the relationship between this solitary tree and the sprawling landscape. It’s such a still image; not a breeze ruffles the branches. There’s something about the way he frames the tree against the flat horizon that feels so considered. I wonder, did he wait for the perfect light, or did he embrace the subdued tones? It’s like a drawing, the delicate tracery of branches reaching out. He reminds me of other photographers, like the Bechers, who methodically documented industrial structures. But Adams brings an added layer of melancholy. He's not just recording; he's suggesting a narrative about nature, land, and our place within it. Like a painter, Adams shows us how seeing is a form of making. The way he chooses to frame and focus transforms the ordinary into something we can contemplate.