Clouds Over Greensboro

Between 1925 and 1934, photographer Alfred Stieglitz completed a series of photographs of clouds that he referred to as equivalents. He captured many of these images at his family’s Summer home in upstate New York and believed they represented the equivalent of the feelings the clouds evoked inside of himself. In other words, his photographs were visual depictions of his inner feelings instead of traditional images of specific locations in the world.

This Summer, I also decided to take a series of photographs of clouds from the greenway across the street from my loft. Since I don’t like hiking and camping in the heat, I decided to stay home, read, write, work on my laptop, walk across the street with my camera occasionally, and focus on the interesting shapes in the sky.

I love that clouds are both fleeting and ever present. They can be both beautiful and ominous. If we take the time to notice them, like the ocean or mountains, clouds can inspire a feeling of awe within our hearts and minds.

Like many things, clouds can remind us of what’s most important in life. They remind us that nothing lasts forever… but also that if we know where and when to look, beauty is always surrounding us.