Mäabo 1903 - 1910

This is a photograph called Mäabo, made by Hendrik Doijer. The image is muted and still. I imagine him standing there with his camera and tripod. It is very atmospheric. There are trees and houses on a hill reflected in the water. Look at the surface. It’s like a mirror, but it’s not. The reflections of the buildings are elongated and transformed. There’s a softness here that suggests a world of shifting forms and half-seen things. I wonder what Doijer was thinking as he composed this shot? Did he see the scene as a moment of quiet beauty? Or was there something more to it? The way the light catches the water feels purposeful, like he’s trying to capture something fleeting and intangible. I get a feeling that he is engaging in a conversation about seeing and feeling.