Field Workers, Angola, Louisiana 19 - 1999

Deborah Luster made this photograph, Field Workers, Angola, Louisiana, using a process that feels like it’s reaching back in time. The sepia tones, the scratches and imperfections on the plate, all lend it a feeling of something unearthed, a relic. Look at the faces of these men; there’s a directness, an openness. The light catches the planes of their faces, highlighting their expressions. You can almost feel the weight of their gaze. There’s a quiet dignity in how they present themselves, a defiance almost. The way the image is rendered, with its imperfections and its warm tones, imbues the subjects with a sense of timelessness. It makes you wonder about the stories etched onto their faces, about the layers of history they carry within them. Like a Rembrandt portrait, this picture is concerned with something deeper than just appearances.