Abstract

This article, centered on the experience of photographing the sky during the COVID-19 pandemic, examines photographic history, the metaphorical associations of skies and clouds, and the photography of contrails. It contains an account of Alfred Stieglitz’s “Equivalents” which are used to contrast with the current situation of sky photography, in particular analyzing his framing, manipulation, and expressive symbolism, alongside nationalist readings of his images. Monochrome images of the sky are juxtaposed to an account of the varying associations of the color blue, drawing on the work of Derek Jarman. Nineteenth century views of the sky and the sublime are also discussed, including the work of John Ruskin and Edmund Burke, to suggest that current environmental peril undercuts the sublime effect. The article is illustrated with photographs from the sequence ‘Corona Equivalents’ made by the author.

摘要

这篇文章以在 COVID-19 大流行期间拍摄天空的经历为中心，探讨了摄影历史、天空和云彩的隐喻关联以及尾迹摄影。它包含对阿尔弗雷德·斯蒂格利茨 (Alfred Stieglitz) 的“等价物”的描述，用于与天空摄影的现状进行对比，特别是分析他的构图、操纵和表现象征主义，以及对他的图像的民族主义解读。天空的单色图像与蓝色的不同联想并列，借鉴了德里克·贾曼的作品。还讨论了 19 世纪天空和崇高的景色，包括约翰·拉斯金和埃德蒙·伯克的作品，以表明当前的环境危险削弱了崇高的效果。