Familieportret van de jachtopziener van Twickel 1900 - 1930

Richard Tepe made this photograph, Familieportret van de jachtopziener van Twickel, with a camera, and a whole set of alchemical processes. It’s all about the way the light hits them, creating these tonal shifts, this interplay of light and shadow. Look at the father’s uniform, how the light catches the fabric, almost like a painting, but a painting made with light and chemicals. The way the background blurs into this mass of foliage creates a dreamy, ethereal quality, softening the edges and giving the whole scene a timeless feel. Then the faces, each one so carefully posed, yet also caught in a moment of being. This reminds me a bit of some of the early modernist photographers like Alfred Stieglitz, who were trying to make photography into an art form, not just a record of reality. It's a family, but it's also a study in light, texture, and feeling.