Militairen aan de waterkant 1940 - 1943

Here's an anonymous photograph called "Militairen aan de waterkant" - or "Military on the Waterfront" - pasted into an album page. It looks like they might have captured this moment with a small camera on black and white film, maybe a Kodak? I wonder what it was like to be this photographer? Were they making a personal document of history as it unfolded, or just recording an ordinary day? The softness of the gray sea is a gorgeous contrast to the men's dark uniforms. There is a conversation between the men and the water – like one is a reflection of the other. I’m struck by how a snapshot, which seems like a simple medium, can carry so much weight. And isn't it beautiful how artists, even anonymous ones, keep inspiring each other across time?