Portret van een Haida-man uit Masset, Canada 1915

Edward Sheriff Curtis made this photograph of a Haida man from Masset, Canada. I wonder what it was like for Curtis to make portraits like this? To approach someone, to ask them to pose. You can see every detail, every line of the man's face in tones that seem to come from the earth. And that headdress! I am in awe of its structure. It seems to be both a part of him and separate from him, a symbol that carries its own weight and presence. Think about the stories this man could tell, the history and culture embedded in his very being. When I look at this picture, I’m aware of how photography can capture a moment, but also how it can never fully capture a life. Yet, it does offer a moment for reflection. It allows us to think about how we see others, and how we acknowledge the depth and complexity of individual experience.