Troy West, Angola, Louisiana 11 - 1999

This is a photograph of Troy West in Angola, Louisiana, by Deborah Luster, and it’s hard to put a date on it, but the golden monochrome feels like a historical document. The way the image almost glows feels like a trick of the light, a happy accident in the darkroom. There’s something about the flat, matte surface that reminds me of early daguerreotypes, or maybe even a faded painting. Look at the way the light catches on the young man’s face, how the texture of his clothes and the surrounding landscape seem almost palpable. The monochrome simplifies the image. The golden tones unify the figure with the landscape, creating a sense of harmony. Luster’s photographs often depict people on the margins of society, and there is a quiet dignity and resilience in her portraits. Like the work of Dawoud Bey or LaToya Ruby Frazier, she is drawn to people and places with complicated pasts and uses photography to bring their stories to life. It's all about seeing, feeling, and trying to understand.