Tracey Horne, "Pick", Angola, Louisiana 11 - 1999

Deborah Luster made this tintype photograph of Tracey Horne in Angola, Louisiana. This way of taking photos is old-school - a direct positive on a metal plate. So different from our digital images, it's like a moment captured in amber. Look at Tracey's face. The lighting is soft, and the details are incredible. You can see every pore, every tiny hair. Luster coaxes a warmth out of the sepia tones, making the sitter feel present and real. I wonder what it was like for Luster, working with this old process, trying to capture something true. And what was it like for Tracey, sitting for the portrait? Was he nervous, self-conscious, defiant, or something else entirely? Painters and photographers are always stealing ideas from each other – how to depict light, how to capture a mood. Luster's photograph reminds me that art-making is about slowing down, paying attention, and really seeing. It’s about entering into a kind of conversation with the subject, and with the history of image-making itself.