Kloof van Harau 1930s

This silver gelatin print, ‘Kloof van Harau,’ probably made with a handheld camera by an anonymous photographer, captures a group of people in a rocky stream, the rocks and people arranged just so. The photo is so-so; the lighting is bad. I think the charm of the print lies in the amateur style. It is also very intimate. It is a casual holiday snap, but the photographer is trying to do something more. I can imagine them thinking: how can I capture this trip, this place? How can I create something both personal and meaningful? There are even some figures arranged with their white shirts so that they reflect light in a pleasing way. This photographer is clearly thinking about how photography can be used expressively to document not just what they saw, but also how they felt. Like any artist, the photographer is in dialogue with the medium and the subject matter, each informing the other and creating something completely unique.