Boston (Alcoholism is only one of the many health problems on the street. Every night in Boston, two mobile units, each with at least one medical person and two outreach workers, patrol the streets and back alleys of the city. They bring hot food, blankets, clothing, and most important, a sympathetic ear.) 1999

Betsy Karel made this photograph of Boston, using of course, a camera. It's black and white. The lack of color almost feels like a removal, taking away a layer of reality, so the focus can be on the shapes and the weight of the story. There's a stark contrast between light and shadow, which is so important here, as it carves out the figures, pulling them from the darkness. Look at the man's eyes. That one point of focus, anchoring us to his world. It's a gesture, almost an acknowledgment, but it's held back, private. The texture of his clothes, the worn seats, they all speak to a life lived on the margins. It makes me think of photographers like Diane Arbus, who had a similar way of capturing people on the edges, making work that’s a real conversation about how we see each other, and what we choose to look away from. Art is about opening up those conversations, not closing them down with easy answers.