Verlaten weg met berken aan weerzijden, Duitsland [?] c. 1913 - 1940

This is a photograph of a lane between trees, made in Germany by Else Bäumer. Looking at this picture I feel a bit like I’m walking into the unknown. Those birch trees lining the road, they are like ghostly figures, aren’t they? I imagine Bäumer strolling along here with her camera, totally tuned in to the light. Did she wait for a cloudy day to get that soft, diffused look, or was it just luck? I’m always curious about those decisions artists make when they are out in the world, responding to the stuff around them. There’s a certain stillness here too, and the lane seems to be leading somewhere, maybe to a different world altogether. I bet Bäumer was inspired by the world around her, just like many photographers and painters are. Ultimately, every artist brings their own perspective, inviting us to see things in a fresh way.