Mary Daniels with her Children, Republic Steel (Working People series) 1979

Milton Rogovin made this photograph of Mary Daniels with her children, part of his Working People series. I’m interested in how Rogovin approaches photography as a process of building relationships, rather than just taking pictures. You can see the care and attention in the details: the way the light catches the lace on the tablecloth, the patterned wallpaper, and the various textures throughout the image. Note the contrast between the soft light on their faces and the darker, patterned background. This contrast draws us into the subjects' world, but at the same time we can’t help but notice that the image has a staged quality to it. The arrangement of the figures, posed symmetrically around the table, echoes formal family portraits, while the everyday objects and setting speak to the realities of working-class life. In some ways the image reminds me of the work of Dorothea Lange, another photographer who focused on representing the lives of ordinary people with dignity and respect. Art is always a conversation.