Ben James, Wales 1953

Robert Frank made this photograph, Ben James, Wales, using gelatin silver. The way Frank uses light and shadow really speaks to me. It's like he's not just recording what's there, but also revealing something hidden, something about the human condition. The high contrast isolates a few figures from the darkness. The texture of the image is grainy, raw. It's not about perfection, but about capturing a moment with all its grit and emotion. Look at the way the light catches the coal dust on the miners' faces. You can almost feel the weight of their labor, the harshness of their environment. It reminds me a bit of Käthe Kollwitz, who similarly made empathetic work about working class people. This photograph feels like a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. And like any good conversation, it leaves you with more questions than answers.