Gezicht op de Grote of Sint-Maartenskerk te Tiel 1905

Henri Bickhoff captured the Grote of Sint-Maartenskerk in Tiel with his camera, presenting a grayscale snapshot of a moment in time. It's a real meditation on light and shadow, isn't it? I wonder what Bickhoff was thinking, standing there with his equipment, framing this shot. Maybe he was drawn to the way the light hit the trees, or the imposing structure of the church itself. I can feel him carefully positioning himself, probably shifting his weight from one foot to another, to get the lines just right. The contrast between the stark, bare trees and the solid stone is pretty amazing; the formal rigidity, the quietness of the church, against the bare and barren trees. Painters and photographers like Bickhoff have this funny way of showing us how to see, like we're all in this ongoing conversation. They teach me, and hopefully I, in turn, teach others.