Directie van de Handelsvereniging Amsterdam (HVA) 1929

This photograph, “Directie van de Handelsvereniging Amsterdam (HVA)” was taken by Vereenigde Foto-bureaux Amsterdam. I imagine the photographer setting up his shot, everyone stiffly waiting in place. Did they chat nervously? Were they bored? The composition is interesting—the gentlemen clustered like a sports team, all dark suits and ties. You can see the light falling on their faces. The composition divides them into the seated and the standing, some staring and some looking away, all radiating out from the table in the middle. I wonder if the photographer was telling them to rearrange themselves a little, if he asked them to express something, and how that played out with the subjects themselves. I think you can see their personalities here. And what kind of dark room magic did the photographer have to use? How long did it take? I love imagining all the processes, decisions, and social interactions that produce an image. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation.