Woman and boy in Mexican restaurant--Los Angeles 1955

Robert Frank made this photograph, 'Woman and boy in Mexican restaurant--Los Angeles', using black and white film; a medium that loves the accidental and the ephemeral. This image feels like a fleeting moment, a snapshot from the street, a slice of life caught on the fly. Look at the way the light falls on the woman's face; the deep shadows and sharp contrasts give her a kind of stoic dignity. Then, there’s the kid with a cigarette, looking off into the distance, lost in his own world. The framing is so immediate, with the table cutting across the bottom of the image like a stage. Frank reminds me of Garry Winogrand, another street photographer who wasn't afraid to be messy and real. Both of them show us that art isn't about perfection, it's about capturing a feeling, an idea, a moment.