Mannen aan het werk op een werf, vermoedelijk in Volendam c. 1900 - 1910

G. Hidderley made this black and white photograph, 'Mannen aan het werk op een werf, vermoedelijk in Volendam', capturing men working in what is thought to be a shipyard in Volendam. The image shows a cluster of ships, with their masts thrusting upwards, creating a forest of vertical lines against the sky. You can almost feel the weight of the ship looming in the foreground, its dark form solid and imposing. I wonder what it was like for Hidderley to stand there, framing this scene? What captured his imagination? Maybe it was the contrast between the massive ship and the delicate masts, or the way the light plays on the water. You can see the human touch in the arrangement of the scene, each element carefully placed to tell a story of labour and industry. It feels like an ongoing conversation with other photographers, each building on the work of those who came before, isn't it?