6 Photos I Like

Nadav Kander

I chose this photo as I really love the lighting across the subjects face. In this particular image, the subject is Christopher Lee, a renowned actor, and I think one of my favourite things about the image is the way the lighting casts shadows on the Lee's eyes and various other facial features such as age spots and his cheekbones. I also think it's really interesting how Kander has his face as the sole focus of the photo, with nothing but blackness surrounding it, like the image was done using negative space.

Margaret Durow

This photo I thought was interesting as the exposure on the streetlights is really high, casting the only person in the frame into shadow. At first glance, your eye is drawn to the light in the corner, and then to the man in the centre. This photo sort of has a sense of alien abduction, like a scene from the X-Files. The man is gazing into the light with kind of longing, looking into the unknown. I really like the use of silhouettes in this image.

James Ellroy

This image I thought was really powerful, as it's taken from a real crime scene. It's one of a series of images called LAPD '53. Ellroy didn't actually take the image himself, what he did was go through the LAPD's photo archive and found a lot of great photos from 1953 and decided to compile a book of them. I was drawn to this image as I find that hands tell really fascinating stories about people, and in this image the person has clearly been a part of some sort of physical violence. the bruising on his hand could come from punching someone, or maybe getting his hand crushed by something. This sort of image leaves a lot to the imagination which I like.

Daniel Arnold

I like this photo because of the look in the mans eyes. There is clearly a lot of tension in the air between theses two characters. The man on the left is in a uniform, maybe a police officer, and the man on the right is wearing a ridiculous headdress with facepaint and not a lot else, and a very challenging look in his eyes. I love the framing in the image as well, we can't see the man in uniforms face but we can tell from his body language he's facing down the other man. I really enjoy the contrast between these two characters.

Andrew Eccles

The lighting in this image is really nice. I love the shadows under the brim of the hat, and how you can only see one eye staring at you. His position is very relaxed, yet there is still a steely glint in his eyes and I get the impression he doesn't really care what people think. I also really like the sepia tones in the photo, I think it works really nicely with the white shirt and the mans skin tone, really complementing the contrasts in the image.

Sebastio Selgado

This photo I find very playful, despite black and white often being used to portray more somber scenes. The thing I notice first in this photo is the child's eyes. They are big and innocent, and the child is giving the camera a small smile, and it makes me wonder the context behind the photo. Did the child know the photographer? Did he ask the child to smile for the photo or did it happen spontaneously? Either way I like the way it engages the audience. I also really like the massive hat the child is wearing, it frames the images in a really wonderful way, balancing out the background and casting some interesting shadows.