Portret van een militair met kepie c. 1884 - 1920

This photograph, “Portret van een militair met kepie”, was created by Charls & Van Es. Looking at this portrait, I wonder what it was like to produce it. I imagine the artist in their studio, carefully adjusting the lights, and directing the subject. I wonder what he was thinking as he sat for the photograph. Did he feel nervous or proud? Was he thinking about his family or his duties? I can almost feel the weight of the past in his eyes. Photography, like painting, is a means of recording, but also of creating new experiences. There is a conversation happening between the sitter and the photographer. Just like when I am painting in the studio, I enter into a conversation with my materials, canvas, brushes, and paints. The process is full of unpredictable turns, like life itself! It's this interplay between intention and chance that makes the art so exciting.