Monday Muse: Jeff Dworsky
Sometimes photography is a time machine
Years ago, I published a photoblog. Remember those? The premise was simple: a photo a day with some links to see more of that artist’s work. Instagram changed everything, so I’m trying something new: the Monday Muse, a visual inspiration for your email inbox. No algorithms, no ads. Just a picture to start your week. Would you like to show something of yours here? Please email anytime! —AA
My birthday's next week, and like clockwork, I find myself looking back and reflecting on how things used to be. I’m not exactly sure when, but sometime in the last decade, my beard shifted from red to mostly white, and it’s always a shock when I see that fresh-faced young man looking back at me in the picture. I remember that guy, but I don’t look like him anymore.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and I’m definitely addicted to it. That’s why pictures like this always affect me: they remind us of a simpler time when things weren’t broken like they are now. Of course, that’s an illusion: the world has always been a dark place; I just didn’t see it that way. Some photographs are so downright idyllic they don’t feel real.
That’s certainly the case in this image by Jeff Dworsky, which is moody, elegiac, and beautiful. The photo is from Sealskin, a book Dworsky published with Charcoal Press in 2024. I’ve been meaning to write about it for months because it’s an extraordinary work — parts photography, folktale, memoir, and myth — and it’s printed beautifully. If you like this picture, you’ll love this book.
Sealskin’s first edition sold out a while back, and I just learned that a new edition is in the works. Dworsky’s Kodachrome images are gorgeous, and the book’s backstory might break your heart. You can see more of these images in Blake Andrews’ excellent Photo-eye review.
Sometimes photography books are puzzles, and this one will lead you down some rabbit holes. Sealskin’s second edition is available for pre-order, and the book ships in May. This might sell out again, so move quickly if it feels like your thing.
Does photography make you nostalgic? Let me know what you think. Take care of yourselves, friends, and have a great week!
Elegiac is the right word. Beautiful.
"Nostalgia is decayed dynamite," wrote the poet Tom McGrath.