Untitled, Las Vegas, Nevada Possibly 1975 - 1978

John Humble made this photograph, *Untitled, Las Vegas, Nevada*, sometime in the twentieth century, using gelatin silver. It's all about the way Humble sees the world, which comes out in how he frames the image. The photo has this great balance between the sharp details in the foreground and the way the light softens everything further back. There’s this figure standing in the doorway, cool as anything, but they almost blend into the background. Then, these shadows from the staircase are repeating, and becoming abstract shapes, which really draw you in. The texture of the stairs against the smoothness of the planters is so important. It makes you think about what we focus on when we look at something. Humble invites you to see the beauty in everyday moments. It reminds me a little bit of some of the compositional ideas in the work of another photographer, Lee Friedlander, but with a completely different mood. With Humble, there's a quietness, a sense of calm observation.