Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 1993

Melanie Eve Barocas made this photograph in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, and you know, it’s all about seeing and feeling in shades of grey. What grabs me here is the way the tones build up to create the story. I love how the light falls on the boy's face, how the details emerge and then recede into shadow. The texture is palpable, you can feel the grit of the buildings behind him, the slight blurring, and the softness of the cloth on his head. It’s so immediate, like a memory, and he's gazing right into your soul. There's a directness that feels intimate, vulnerable even. You know, thinking about mark-making, this photograph reminds me a little of the paintings of Alice Neel, the way she could capture a person’s essence with just a few simple lines. Like Neel, Barocas isn’t just showing us what someone looks like, but who they are.