Gezicht op het Libanon gebergte bij Broumana, Syrië Possibly 1925 - 1926

This photograph of the Lebanon mountains near Broumana, Syria, was taken by A.G.A. van Eelde. The tones in this black and white print feel carefully calibrated, don't they? There's a softness here, a kind of tonal range that’s hard to pin down. It's a balance between the clarity of the buildings dotted across the hilltop and the dense foliage in the foreground, which gives a great sense of depth. The contrast in tones creates a really beautiful effect. Look at the path winding up the hill. It’s almost like a visual pathway, inviting you into the scene, into the experience of being there. It's a bit like the photographs of Eugène Atget in its subject and tonality, and that feeling of a specific time and place being captured. Anyway, I could look at this photograph for hours, and still find something new each time.