Presence

Magnum photographer Simon Wheatley, originally uploaded by martin_fuchs.

I don't know anything about this man, other than the fact that he is a photographer. Like the wedding portrait I blogged on a few weeks back, I am amused to see a photographer so well photographed. I like how the subject's intensity is captured underneath the harsh sunlight. The lighting is far from ideal, and yet, the results look great. When I look at a portrait like this, I realize that my own work has got a long way to go. I can't even begin to guess how this shot looks so clean.

Maybe it's as simple as just telling a person to stand facing the sun, a "look at me", and then snap. But something tells me it's not that easy. Problems normal people have with a shot like this are nowhere to be found: washed out/overexposed forehead & nose, dark clothing blending in with dark background, blown out sky in background, lack of detail under harsh lighting, etc.

The execution of this shot is just spot on. The crop and composition are great. There's no superfluous space above the head, and the positioning of the subject 1/3 of the way into the frame is classic and works well. The crazy steel ladder and beams to the right strangely work nicely to balance out the rest of the photo. The skyline of the city in the back then grounds the photo and gives us an interesting background. This is a great example of how landscape orientation is just as suited for portraiture as portrait orientation is.