Larry Sultan 1975

Here is a baseball card made by Mike Mandel, of Larry Sultan. I love the deadpan quality of it all! Larry stares straight out at us holding a baseball. His name is printed, kinda clunky, either side of his head. What was Mike thinking? It's like he's playing with the visual language of the everyday. The black and white gives it a timeless feel. The photograph has this funny kind of tension. It's both intimate and distant at the same time. You can feel Mike experimenting, pushing the boundaries of what photography could be. Mike and Larry were part of a whole community of photographers who were talking to each other and pushing each other. They are an inspiration!