Volendammers laten zich fotograferen Possibly 1942 - 1944

This anonymous photograph, Volendammers laten zich fotograferen, captures a group of men in Volendam, presumably posing for a photograph. The tones are mostly grey, a kind of chromatic restraint that speaks to the technical limitations of the time. I like to think of the image making process as a collaboration between photographer and subject. The texture of the photograph itself—smooth and a little grainy. It feels almost like you could reach out and touch it, feeling the slight imperfections of the emulsion, like the canvas of a painting. The men are arranged on the street, their faces, though somewhat obscured by hats, are turned slightly toward the camera. There’s something compelling about the way these figures come together. The photograph shares some affinity with the work of August Sander, who catalogued people in Germany through photography. Both are a kind of sociological study but also a work of art. A reminder that art is always in conversation with history, with culture, and with the very act of seeing.