Untitled (woman kneeling by bassinet, looking at camera, with arm around baby) after 1940

This photograph was taken by Paul Gittings, and it captures a mother kneeling by a bassinet with her baby. It's so striking how the light comes through the window blinds behind them! It makes you wonder about that moment in time, what it was like to be a photographer who was so sought after that people would book you in advance, and really plan for that moment. I bet Gittings was thinking hard about composition, about light and shadow, about capturing that perfect expression. I can imagine him carefully arranging the subjects, adjusting the lighting to highlight their features, creating a scene that's both intimate and iconic. This wasn't a snapshot; it was a carefully constructed image. And that's where the real magic lies, in the intention and the choices that shape our perception. The artist is always in conversation with everyone else.