The Camera’s Power to Freeze an Illusion

Sad Jack.  Smiling Jack.  What’s the personality of this seven-month old perched in an old wooden chair in front of a worn wooden fence?  When I first saw “Smiling Jack” through a loupe held against the negative on a lightbox, I thought, “That’s a unique photo –  a baby gesturing like that.”  It made me laugh.  So I thought I would only print this image in the darkroom.  But once in the darkroom, I also printed the image shot only a second earlier.  Together, the images reminded me of the large brass faces depicting comedy and tragedy on opposite walls of  movie theaters in years past.  And I am reminded of how a fleeting second  – frozen on film – can change our perception indefinitely.

Technical:  Leica M6 rangefinder; 28mm lens. Tri-X.  Natural light.