Tentenkamp van de eerste Britse telegraafpost in Phari 1906

This black and white photograph, ‘Tentenkamp van de eerste Britse telegraafpost in Phari’, was taken by D.T. Dalton, probably in 1906. I can just imagine the scene, with these tents bravely perched in the landscape! It’s funny to think about what Dalton might have been feeling out there. Was he lonely, or energized by the wide open space? As a painter, I always wonder about these things. When I look at a landscape, I often try to imagine how I might translate all the textures and shades into paint. I can imagine what it must have felt like to stand in the long grass to take this photograph. Think about the challenges he would have faced to record this image, the exposure, the focus, the light. Dalton knew that photography was a constant conversation, a process of exchange, and experimentation. He had to get all these elements right to express his impression of the world. He captures a specific moment in time, but invites a timeless dialogue with all of us.