James Barnard Jackson, "Shake Back," Transylvania, Louisiana 1999

"Shake Back," from Deborah Luster's 1999 series, "A Family" portrays a young man in a straightforward portrait style. The black and white image emphasizes his muscular physique and stoic gaze, perhaps hinting at the physical and emotional realities of his life. This photograph, along with the rest of the series, highlights the lives of African American families living in rural Louisiana. The intimate, almost melancholic tone of the image invites viewers to consider the lives of those often unseen in mainstream narratives.