Where can you find Halifax in New York? The answer is on the fifth floor of the Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street. There, you will find a copy of Bill Brandt’s 1937 photograph, Halifax – a clear indication that it is regarded as one of the finest twentieth-century photographs. My interpretation, taken forty years ago and the fifth image from my chosen strip of negatives, is but a pale imitation of the original.
Your strip of negatives that you’ve featured this week is the work of a true camera virtuoso, Alan. I did not know of Bill Brandt but I looked up his photos and yours are just as fine. It’s like listening to two pianists interpret a Chopin etude. The music may be the same but each artist brings new focus to different notes and phrases. I often save your photos to put on my desktop screen and discovered today that your opening image for 1 Jan 2026 was a variation on this same lane. In reading Bill Brandt’s Wikipedia page, I laughed at his comment on first visiting Halifax—”absolutely extraordinary; a real dream town – I’d never seen anything like it before.” I continue to be amazed myself at the variety of Halifax’s many angles and textures that your camera sees. Truly timeless.
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