New York 1945

Harry Callahan made this photograph in New York, using light as if it were his only material. The high contrast and stark forms remind me that photography, at its heart, is about capturing light and shadow. The way Callahan uses light to sculpt the scene is just amazing! The stark, almost brutal contrast between the bright pavement and the deep shadows on the left creates a kind of stage. A woman and a man stand as if they’re waiting for something, or maybe they’re just part of the city’s backdrop. Look how their shadows stretch out, becoming characters in their own right. It's so simple, yet so evocative. It's like a masterclass in composition, the way he's arranged these elements to tell a story without telling you what the story is. I think of Walker Evans, another artist who found beauty in the everyday, but Callahan strips it down even further, to pure form and light. It’s art that whispers, not shouts, leaving you to fill in the blanks.