Haute Couture Soirée 1935

Brassai made this silver gelatin print, Haute Couture Soirée, and, man, is it great. Look at the contrast between the pale dress and the dark trim, how it makes the image pop. This photo isn't just a snapshot, it's about seeing, really *seeing*. Check out the ruffles on the dress, they are like dark, curly lines, almost like a drawing on the photograph itself. Brassai wasn’t just pointing a camera, he was constructing a vision. I love how you can see the woman’s reflection, it almost feels like there are two of her, each with a slightly different story to tell. It reminds me of what Man Ray was doing at the same time in Paris. This piece is like a dance between light and shadow, surface and depth, reality and reflection. Brassai makes you look at the world, and the people in it, in a fresh way.