Portret van een man met een kanten kraag 1916

Guillame Maximilien Zimmermann made this photograph, Portret van een man met een kanten kraag, sometime around the turn of the century. Looking at this image I’m struck by the soft, almost ethereal quality of the light. It's like the sitter is emerging from a fog. I wonder what kind of camera or lens Zimmermann was using? The way the light catches the lace collar, each tiny detail rendered with such clarity, it's really beautiful. But then, look at how the image softens around the edges. The details become less distinct, and the figure almost blends into the background. It’s like Zimmermann is playing with focus and blur, inviting us to really look, and consider what we choose to focus on when we look at a portrait. It reminds me a little of the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, another photographer who wasn't afraid to embrace the imperfections and uncertainties of the photographic process. Art is always about the conversation between artists, isn’t it?