Alvaro Sosa, Angola, Louisiana 24 - 1999

This tintype photograph, Alvaro Sosa, Angola, Louisiana, was made by Deborah Luster. It looks like the artist was aiming for something straightforward. But there's always more, right? I mean, the photograph does show a man, standing in a field, maybe crops, who knows. But it's all covered in this amber light that seems to be coming from everywhere, even the future. And the guy’s got this bucket by his feet like he’s been harvesting something, or maybe he's just on his way to harvest. He is a figure in a field, and the surface and the film of light become kind of dreamlike. I can imagine Luster setting up her camera, waiting for the right moment. Did she ask him to stand a certain way? Did she notice the bucket and ask him to put it down? Did she imagine that yellow cast? Or did it simply show up? It makes me wonder about the choices we make when we make things. And what shows up when we're not looking.