Orange, Massachusetts 1996

Justin Kimball made this photograph in Orange, Massachusetts; it feels like it could be anytime, anywhere, really. It's not so much about capturing a perfect moment as it is about creating a mood. The light is steady, not too harsh. The water is dark and still, reflecting the sky. Look at how Kimball uses the horizontal lines of the bridge and road to pull you into the picture. There's a sense of depth and distance, but it's also kind of flat, like a stage set. The three figures are right there, but seem like they could also be anywhere else, or anyone else. It reminds me a little of Gregory Crewdson, in the way that the everyday becomes something a little bit unsettling. But it's also got its own thing going on, its own quiet, introspective feeling, a sense of waiting, watching. The boys look like they are about to jump, or not. The sense of limbo is the point.