Gezicht op de Oudezijds Voorburgwal, gezien vanaf de Zeedijk 1904

James Higson captured this view of Oudezijds Voorburgwal from Zeedijk in a photograph, sometime between 1862 and 1933. Look at the way the buildings seem to emerge from the fog, their forms softened and blurred. I can imagine Higson setting up his camera, patiently waiting for the light to be just right, that moment when the world seems to hold its breath. It's interesting how photography, like painting, can be about capturing a fleeting moment, an atmosphere, a mood. There's a delicacy to the image, a quietness, that invites you to step into that world. The reflections in the canal add to the dreamlike quality of the image. It’s a dance of light and shadow, reality and illusion, much like the act of creating itself.