Prins Bernhard op rondreis Possibly 1945 - 1946

This small photograph, "Prins Bernhard op rondreis," by Anefo, captures a moment in time with a straightforward, documentary feel. The tones are limited to grayscale, yet within this restriction, a story unfolds through the contrast and play of light and shadow. Look at the surface of the image. It is smooth, a result of the printing process of the time, but it allows the texture of the scene to come alive: the rough wool of the military garments, the smooth, dark fabric of the clergyman’s robes, and the eager faces in the background. The light catches the edges of the faces, pulling them forward, and it makes you wonder who they are. The photograph shares some of the real-time qualities you find in the work of Garry Winogrand or Helen Levitt, with their decisive-moment approach to street photography. The work reminds me that every click of the shutter is a form of mark-making, revealing as much as it conceals. There is no single meaning here, but a collection of them, shifting like light.