Casablanca, 2004, in the Casbah El-Habous Possibly 2004 - 2014

Leo Rubinfien made this black and white photograph in Casablanca, in 2004. The grainy tones give the image a timeless quality, like we’re looking at something from the past but also very much rooted in the present. It's all about the surface here, right? The way the light catches the fabric of the woman's headscarf, creating these subtle gradations of gray. And then, her face - the texture of her skin, the lines around her eyes - every detail feels so immediate and raw. It’s a dance of light and shadow that draws you in, closer and closer. Notice the blurred background, which only serves to emphasize the foreground, adding depth. Rubinfien’s work often captures these quiet, human moments amidst the chaos of everyday life, reminiscent of the work of photographers like Robert Frank, who found beauty in the ordinary. Ultimately, it's these layers of ambiguity that make the image so powerful.