Iron Latch, East Jamaica, Vermont 1943

Paul Strand made this photograph, Iron Latch, in East Jamaica, Vermont, using light and shadow to abstract a small fragment of the world. It's a process of finding compositions already out there, a process that then gets baked into the darkroom work. The textures are where this image lives. The way the weathered wood grain feels like both a surface and a landscape, a kind of topography of time. And that iron latch – look how it hangs there, heavy and worn, a testament to use, abuse, and the slow creep of rust. It's a detail that anchors the whole piece, drawing your eye back to the center. I am reminded of Walker Evans, but where Evans found the iconic in the everyday, Strand finds a quiet poetics. This isn't just a door; it's a meditation on time, place, and the beauty of decay. Ultimately, it's about seeing the world anew, finding abstraction in reality, and letting the light do the talking.