Albert James, "Dino," Transylvania, Louisiana 1999

Deborah Luster captured "Dino," Albert James, in Transylvania, Louisiana, using the tintype process. The sepia tones feel so old-school, like peering into a Civil War portrait, but then there's Dino with his cap and t-shirt, blowing smoke, and suddenly it's now. I'm thinking about Luster in her darkroom, coaxing the image out, her focus, and maybe even her anxieties, made visible in the amber tones. It’s like she’s saying, "Hey, let’s slow down and really look." The dark background makes Dino pop, yet the shallow depth of field renders it hazy. Photography is an art of time—capturing a moment, but also revealing the layers of history embedded in both the subject and the medium. The way Luster uses light and shadow reminds me of Caravaggio, finding beauty in the everyday. Artists are always having this convo across time, remixing and rethinking what came before.