Here's the picture from the edit that I wrote about the other day. I made this portrait of Annie in my photojournalism class during a demonstration of how important it is to not settle for an average head and shoulders picture. The goal is to make images that are meaningful to both you and the person you are photographing.
I thought this image captured Annie's intensity and unique qualities the best. The picture was made with Annie standing behind a beveled glass partition that serves as a security wall for traffic coming in and out of the library. After asking Annie to be a little patient with me, I moved around until I could line up the light reflecting off the glass. At the same time, I still wanted enough light to come through to illuminate Annie hair and face. I was OK with much of the information surrounding Annie's face to go dark. I was counting on the contrasts to add tension and impact to the frame. The final frames were made at about 250 sec. @ f/4 set at 200 ISO. What I also notice now is that I am in the frame as well. At least my reflection is there. I could probably get away with burning this area down a bit without stepping over any ethical lines. It's funny that I didn't notice this earlier.
What's interesting to me is that the frame has a very distorted horizon. It's on a steep angle. Typically, I have never shoot anything but straight horizons. I also preach this to my students and I am sure some will chuckle at this after reading my confession. There are always exceptions to the rules. You need to know when to break them.
I used to think tipping the camera helter-skelter was gimmicky and didn't really add anything to the message. I am not so sure now.
I think that once in a while the mood of the image can be intensified by throwing the angle off a bit. In this case, I shot the image intentionally on an angle to give it a bit of an edge. I also like the leading lines. I wouldn't say that I would do this more than just once in a while though.
I still feel fairly conservative about the role of images as visual reportage and not so much about the art in them. Although it is impossible to escape both of these characteristics.
The point of making any picture is two fold. First, the image must have a central focus and story. Without a central focus, the viewer cannot possibly guess where the photographer wants to direct their attention to.
Secondly, the image must evoke emotion in the viewer. To be meaningful, the image must have feeling.
It is the photographer's job to make the reader care about what they are seeing. Always!