Children Looking Through Window of Car, Harlem 1943

Gordon Parks made this gelatin silver print, *Children Looking Through Window of Car, Harlem*, and what strikes me is the level of control in the tonality. Parks coaxes so many shades from light to dark, which creates a sense of depth and texture. Parks isn't just pointing and shooting, but really thinking about how light shapes the image. It’s a study in contrasts, those brilliant highlights on the children’s faces against the deep shadows of the car's interior. Look at the reflection on the window, like a pane of glass separating us from their world, and how that plays with the composition. There's a push and pull between the subjects and the formal qualities, almost abstract, but always grounded in the human element. This photograph reminds me of the way Roy DeCarava also captured life in Harlem, with a similar eye for the nuances of black and white and its ability to evoke the feel of a specific place and time. Photography is about seeing, and Parks invites us to really look.