Untitled #18 (Creek and Trees) 2017

Dawoud Bey made this photograph, Untitled #18 (Creek and Trees), sometime in his career and with what looks to me like gelatin silver print. The composition feels like a gentle unfurling, a quiet reveal. Everything is in shadow, and yet there is a soft glow that pulls you through the trees, down into the creek bed. I imagine Bey out there in the fading light, waiting, watching, patiently layering exposure on top of exposure to bring out the details, the subtle shifts in tone that make this image so captivating. It reminds me a bit of some of my own studio explorations, trying to coax feeling out of a surface. You know, it's like Bey is saying, "Look closer, there’s more here than meets the eye." Dawoud Bey is one of those artists who makes you slow down and really see. He's always been in dialogue with other photographers, and I can see him here, building on their legacies. I wonder where this creek is and what was running through his mind as he framed this shot?