Casey Leto, Hazleton Area High School, Hazleton, Pennsylvania 1994

Judith Joy Ross made this photograph of Casey Leto, a high school student in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Ross’s work isn’t about capturing some fleeting moment, it’s about something more profound, an exchange, a process. The sepia tone gives the image a kind of timelessness, but it’s the directness of the gaze that really gets you. The soft focus and the way the light falls feels almost like a painting, reminiscent of a Rembrandt portrait. Look at the way the light catches the strands of her hair, or the subtle gradations of tone in her face. There is a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, a feeling that you are seeing her, truly seeing her. Ross’s work reminds me of Diane Arbus, but with a kinder, gentler touch. Both artists sought out subjects who were often overlooked or marginalized, but Ross’s approach feels less exploitative, more empathetic. It’s a testament to the power of art to connect us, to remind us of our shared humanity, and to allow for multiple ways of seeing and feeling.