Klaas Kleiterp (rechts) en een kind van de familie Eckhardt in een tuin in Nederlands-Indië 1922

Klaas Kleiterp captured this photograph of himself and a child from the Eckhardt family in a garden in the Dutch East Indies; it's hard to tell when exactly, but he was active in the early 20th century. I imagine Kleiterp carefully framing these two little subjects, making a family portrait. The photograph seems so small, but then again, so were they, those days in the garden. The contrast between light and shadow is so interesting, it almost looks like the children are sitting in a painting, they really give the impression of being very alive. They are both sitting on little bamboo chairs surrounded by tropical plants. Taking photographs is a bit like painting: both explore ways of seeing and experiencing the world. Each involves choices about composition, light, and perspective, and each captures a moment in time. Like other painters, Kleiterp contributes to an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, in this case, through photography rather than painting, inspiring my own creativity today, and maybe yours, too!