Portret van een gezelschap reisgenoten van Dolph Kessler op de trap voor een houten huis c. 1903 - 1908

Geldolph Adriaan Kessler took this snapshot of friends on a wooden porch, though we don't know exactly when. Isn't it funny how the sepia tone gives it a melancholic, nostalgic air, even though it probably just captured a regular day? I love how photography, like painting, is all about capturing light. Here, the light kind of flattens everything, making the textures and details subtle. Look at the grain of the wood, and the way the shadows fall on the steps. And, those men! They're all dressed up, but they seem so relaxed, like they're just hanging out. I wonder what they were talking about? Photography, like painting, is about freezing a moment in time, inviting us to imagine the stories behind the image. You see a little bit of August Sander in the documentary feel of the photo. Like Sander, Kessler gives us an image that's both personal and a wider document of a particular time. What do you think?