Gezicht in het bos 1903 - 1910

Hendrik Doijer made this monochromatic forest scene, with a still camera, at a time we don’t know. It's so evocative, don’t you think? I imagine Doijer wandering through this dense woodland, looking for a scene to capture, the camera a tool that might help him express the wonder of nature. I’ve spent days looking for the ‘right’ view, but in the end, it comes down to a feeling, doesn’t it? There’s something so still and immersive here – the water in the foreground, the log spanning the stream, the trees rising up. The eye is drawn into the depths of the forest. It's so easy to imagine the air is thick with humidity, the buzzing of insects, and the damp earth underfoot. It’s a picture of stillness, and it's really rather sublime. I’m often inspired by how painters and photographers of the past saw the world, and I feel a connection to them, reaching across time. Perhaps you feel it too.