Ida Orloff as Hannele in Hannele's Himmelfahrt 1925

Aura Hertwig made this photograph, Ida Orloff as Hannele in Hannele's Himmelfahrt, using light and shadow to conjure a world of theatrical emotion. Look at how the light pools on Orloff's face, highlighting her expression. It's all about capturing a mood, right? And in black and white photography, the texture becomes everything. The way the veil seems to float, almost separate from the figure, the folds in the dress creating depth. It's like Hertwig is sculpting with light, coaxing the image out of darkness. It's a process, much like painting, where each layer builds on the last. The softness in the photograph contrasts with the sharp focus on the face, it's like two different worlds colliding. And I guess that tension, that push and pull, is what makes the photo so compelling. This piece reminds me of Julia Margaret Cameron’s portraits, which played with focus and atmosphere to explore emotion. What connects all these artists is a desire to capture more than just a likeness, they seek a feeling, an experience, a fragment of the soul.