Untitled 1992

This gelatin silver print, made by Thomas Roma, captures a moment inside what seems to be a church. The tones range from a soft grey to deep black, and it's the contrasts between these tones that really make the image. It's like Roma is painting with light, creating a scene that feels both intimate and monumental. There’s a lot happening here. The way the light catches the faces, for instance, gives each person a real presence, yet the graininess of the print reminds you it's a captured moment, a memory. I'm drawn to the woman on the right, her eyes closed, hand out, and money in her hand. The focus and light on this area of the print invites us to empathize with her. Roma reminds me of photographers like Roy DeCarava, who also had a knack for finding beauty and depth in everyday life. Both invite us to look closer, to find meaning in the mundane, and to appreciate the rich, complex layers of human experience. The picture is open-ended, and the emotional possibilities within it are endless.