Alfred Stieglitz

Alfred Stieglitz was interested in photography at a young age. He received formal training in this field and continued on to master it. After spending several years in Europe taking photographs, he returned to New York. He was living there during its transition to an industrial society. Stieglitz captured the growth of the city, similar to Lewis Hine; however, Stieglitz could not be considered a documentary photographer. Labeled a pictorial photographer, he was much more concerned with photography as an art. He manipulated photographs during the development process, and he deliberately positioned himself to capture an image.

As seen in this photograph of the Flatiron Building, influenced by Japonisme, the tree in the foreground balances the narrow building in the background. Stieglitz intentionally positioned himself to capture this viewpoint, as well as manipulated the medium to provide the soft focus.

Alfred Stieglitz