Mary Daniels, Republic Steel (Working People series) 1979

Here's a photograph by Milton Rogovin, part of his "Working People" series, and it's just so full of presence. It's a portrait of a steelworker named Mary Daniels, and she's standing there, like, solid, with her gear, ready for anything. Rogovin's got this way of capturing people that feels so real, so grounded. I think about the kind of labor and grit involved. I mean, those steel mills were tough places, and this image really transmits a sense of what it might be like. The tones of the photograph, the shades of dark and light, make me think about the way we see each other, how we honor the work that people do. It's a reminder of the everyday heroes all around us, the people who keep things running.