Casablanca, 2004, at the Cafe de France Possibly 2004 - 2014

Leo Rubinfien’s photograph, Casablanca, 2004, at the Cafe de France, is a black and white silver gelatin print. I imagine Rubinfien standing on a busy street, patiently waiting for the right moment to capture the scene. The photograph is composed with careful attention to the nuances of light and shadow. There are two men, one in front of the other, and street signs in Arabic and French. Both are looking in the same direction, but the man at the back looks preoccupied, whereas the other looks like he's just hanging out, minding his own business. I wonder what it was like to be in Casablanca at that moment? I think of other photographers who found themselves drawn to similar subjects, like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, all capturing those decisive moments that make you feel something.