Optocht Jeugdstorm 1935 - 1937

This photograph, Optocht Jeugdstorm, was taken by J. Otto, but the date is unknown. It’s a small picture, only 8.5 x 13.5 cm, of a group of young people marching in uniform. I wonder what Otto was thinking when they pressed the shutter? There’s something stiff and posed, and yet the group is in motion. You can see it in their legs. I imagine Otto trying to capture a sense of unity and purpose, but maybe also something more complex. Photography, like painting, has this incredible capacity to freeze a moment and invite you to look closer. It’s a form of embodied expression, where the photographer's choices about framing, light, and composition create meaning. Otto’s photograph invites us to reflect on history, ideology, and the individuals caught up in larger movements. It's a quiet reminder that artists are often in conversation with their times.