Sucre, Bolivia 1975

Ed Grazda captured this photograph, Sucre, Bolivia with gelatin silver. It's this dance between light and shadow, the stark contrast, that really grabs me. The photo is a study in texture. The rough, almost distressed quality of the wall behind the figure plays against the softer textures of the man’s clothing. Look at his hands resting in his lap: they tell a story of work and wear, each line and crease a mark of experience. I think about what we reveal, and what we conceal. In this quiet moment of repose, Grazda invites us to consider the dignity and complexity of a life, without ever spelling it out. It makes me think of August Sander, another photographer who captured everyday people with so much respect and attention to detail. Both ask us to really see the person in front of us, rather than leaping to easy assumptions.