Untitled (young woman in long black dress standing between chair and window) after 1940

Paul Gittings captured this image of a young woman in a black dress using gelatin silver. Look at how the light drapes across the scene, almost like a curtain itself. It makes you wonder about the process, doesn't it? About what Gittings was thinking as he adjusted the lighting, how he wanted the light to fall, and how this would shape the photo, almost like laying down washes of paint. The silver gelatin gives it a real tactile quality, like you could reach out and feel the texture of her dress. The softness of the light, the stark black of her dress, and the patterned rug all add to the sense of depth and shadow. Notice how the line of the curtain mirrors the line of her body, creating a kind of echo in the image. It’s subtle, but it makes you feel like there’s a conversation happening between the woman and her surroundings. Thinking about the way Gittings used light and shadow reminds me of Caravaggio, of all people. Obviously, he was a painter and this is a photograph, but both were masters of using light to create drama and mood. Both understood that what you leave in shadow is just as important as what you illuminate.