Untitled (group of debutantes) c. 1966

This small photograph, taken by Robert Burian, captures a group of debutantes. It's a black and white image, so think about how that constraint might shape the story being told. I imagine Burian, squinting through the viewfinder, trying to wrangle this composition. The negative, with its grayscale palette, gives everything a slightly melancholic feel, don’t you think? The light, as an emotional player, becomes really important here. Look at how the poses are so stiff and formal. Were they told to pose a certain way, or is that how they wanted to be seen? I wonder if he was interested in the tension between the individual and the group. I think of other photographers, like Diane Arbus, who found beauty in what others might overlook. Maybe Burian was also on that track, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. The photograph makes me wonder what it was like to be these young women at that time.