Gezicht op Port Dieu 1903

This sepia toned photograph of Port Dieu by Delizy is a real exercise in layering, in how to give depth to a relatively small surface. The tones are quite muted, but this adds to the feeling of space. The light seems gentle, and the hills in the background fade into almost nothing. Look at the way the winding river dominates the lower part of the frame, twisting and turning back into the landscape, drawing the eye further in. I'm interested in the way the tones seem to flatten the image, yet I can still imagine walking down to the water, or along the small road that climbs the hill to the right. It reminds me a little of early landscape photography, maybe something by Gustave Le Gray. There’s a stillness and beauty here, in what’s included, but also in what’s left out.