C.J. Pressma 1975

Mike Mandel made this photograph, C.J. Pressma, as part of a baseball card series. It's a small, intimate piece, rendered in black and white, which immediately gives it a sense of timelessness. The grey scale here flattens the image and brings a tactile quality to the fore. What strikes me most is the way Mandel uses light and shadow to sculpt C.J.'s face and form. Look at the way the light catches the brim of his cap, casting a shadow that veils his eyes, creating an air of mystery. The high contrast emphasizes the stubble on his face and the texture of his shirt. The slight graininess of the photograph adds to this sense of palpable reality. It's almost like you could reach out and feel the texture of the paper. This makes me think of other photographers, like August Sander, who also sought to capture the essence of everyday people through portraiture. Like their work, Mandel's image isn't just about the subject; it's a meditation on representation itself, on how we perceive and interpret the world around us. The ambiguity here is wonderful.