The Value of Looking

© Mimi Plum Photo from The White Sky, 1972-78 | The White Sky was published by Stanley/Barker in 2020.

I recently came across the work of Mimi Plumb, and I was half surprised I hadn’t known her photography before. After thinking about it some more, I realized there are so many great photographers whose work I am unfamiliar with. For that reason, her images gave me pause to stop at each image on display and imagine myself there within the spaces Plumb captured. There’s such a quiet feeling to them, and I’d describe her images as a documentary style that feels honest and unembellished, with an undercurrent of sadness that lingers.

As I went through the Blazing Light: Photographs by Mimi Plumb exhibit, I found myself thinking about documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark and the way she approached her subjects. Both photographers have a keen eye for real moments. There’s a sense of careful observation working in tandem with patience and a deep respect for the people they photograph.

It was a reminder that photographers need to study photographs, not just make them. Looking closely at documentary photography sharpens your eye. You start noticing how the mood is built through light, framing, and restraint. You begin to understand how subtle choices shape emotional impact.

Growth doesn’t only happen behind the camera. Sometimes it happens by sitting quietly with someone else’s work and asking why it moves you.

The practice of really looking can inform the viewer of what it’s like to be in a place other than one’s own. Visit the High Museum of Art to see the Blazing Light: Photographs by Mimi Plumb on view through May 10, 2026.