Just reading this headline takes me back to bygone days , when manners mattered , allegedly !
Don’t stop reading yet , this is a important photographic blog , you might think manners in the twenty first century are less important than they once were , you might be right but manners matter in photographs !
The thing is we all have behavioral expectations of each other , no one likes to be in the company of someone who turns their back on them , in short this behavior is seen as rude , people with their backs to camera are perceived as being less interesting / interested than folk who face the “Right” way ?
Visually pictures of folk from behind are really strong , emphasiing shape & texture in a graphic way , minimising the subjects personality and creating a broader ambiguous subject appeal …
This composition is deliberately confrontational , notice how shape and form become more important when the face is hidden .
Within our subconscious we expect the subjects in the pictures we make and view to adhere to the same real life etiquette that we live by day to day , “Look at me” , while I engage with you we demand silently as we view the work !
Another convention that seems to be disappearing from portrait photography in particular and photography in general is that of the left to right compositional principles , in case you didn’t know your western brain is hardwired to read type and pictures “Left to Right “, this stuff matters , a portrait that faces out to the right will welcome the viewer with the back of their head ( RUDE ) as apposed to a more welcoming profile view when the sitter looks the opposite way or polite if you like , sometimes you have to accept subjects facing the “Wrong” way if the light dictates the positioning but being aware of the convention will help you select your locations with regard to “Best” light direction !
Ideally we should light our portraits from the left when possible , its only good manners after all …
When I photographed Sirkka-lissa Konttinen the available light entered the frame from the right , you have to be led by the light and ignore the L-R convention when needs must …
The takeaway from todays brief blog is that pictures of people benefit from being lit from the the left , due to the way we we read left to right , however when working with available light this L -R convention is trumped by the necessity to ensure the the subjects face / profile is well lit , basic stuff but it really matters to the viewers subconscious interpretation of your compositions !
Proving once again that your photography should always, always, always be led by the light , and pictures with the main light coming from the left always read better than the pics lit from the right …
Who knew …
MORE…
If your blessed with a bit more time feel free to visit highlights from my Another Day Off project , The State Of Britain series and The Testing Times pictures , they represent the most turbulent years in modern British history and ten years of my life …