Angola, Louisiana 24 - 1999

Deborah Luster made this tintype photograph, Angola, Louisiana. It feels like a moment suspended. It makes me think about how photography, like painting, is about capturing light. Here, the light seems to be captured, almost held, in the surface of this work. I can imagine Luster in her studio, carefully mixing her chemicals and preparing the plate, as the man stands before her. I can see a man holding a round plaque with a cross. He is serious, reflective. Perhaps Luster is trying to get at something about faith, about the stories we tell ourselves and each other. There are crosses in the background too, taped up on the wall, and it's all so still. I wonder if they talked much, or if it was mostly quiet. It's like she is saying something about community and belief, and about being human. The way Luster uses photography makes it feel like a very old, very human way of seeing. Artists are always building on what others have done. Looking at someone else's work always helps you think about your own.