David Stringfellow, Transylvania, Louisiana 15 - 2000

Editor: We're looking at Deborah Luster’s "David Stringfellow, Transylvania, Louisiana," a gelatin-silver print created sometime between 15-2000. The sepia tone gives it a slightly vintage feel, and I immediately feel this deep sense of peace from this fellow holding a guitar, almost like I've stumbled upon a treasured memory. What speaks to you when you see this? Curator: What I see is a sort of… poem, almost. Luster, she’s not just snapping a photo, is she? She’s conjuring a mood. Transylvania, Louisiana – the name itself drips with stories. And then this young man, David, holding his guitar against that dark backdrop… It feels intimate, like a shared secret. It's like those old tintypes where someone sat, posing ever so still. Editor: You're right. The setting is really stripped down, almost bare. Curator: It forces you to focus, doesn't it? It's all about David. And the guitar becomes almost a part of him, an extension of his soul. Notice how he doesn't quite meet our gaze, creating a sense of contemplation? Perhaps he’s even mid-song! What stories might his music tell, I wonder? The everyday raised to something more, you know? I like that thought. Editor: I hadn't considered that connection between the setting and this focus, very interesting point of view. The photo becomes less about him as a subject and more about… well, about music or place, just like you said! Curator: Precisely. We’ve been gifted a little window into this corner of Louisiana, this young man’s story and dream… It's quietly magical, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. It’s funny, I thought I was seeing a simple portrait, but now, seeing it your way, there's such incredible depth and intrigue in the way he is represented!