Untitled (man standing by car) c. 1945

This small gelatin silver print by Robert Burian shows a man standing by a car. I keep thinking about how, if you were the photographer, you'd be hoping to capture a moment, a gesture, or a feeling. Maybe Burian liked the way the shadows fell on the street, or how the car looked in the afternoon light. I mean, he captured the car's curves. And the man himself seems almost melancholy, standing there with his hat and long coat. It's like he's waiting for something, or someone. You see the houses in the background, suggesting a normal, everyday scene, but there's also a sense of stillness, of quiet contemplation. It's a simple image, but it has a kind of depth to it, you know? It reminds me of how artists across mediums capture a mood, a feeling, or an experience.