Gustav Hoiland

By: gustavHoiland

Aug 15 2010

Category: portrait, Uncategorized

1 Comment

I had the pleasure of attending a backyard birthday party this weekend with a great gang of people, some of whom I may have met five or so years ago. I found it a bit challenging to shoot during the event, not because of trepidation or fear of imposing on people, but rather I just wasn’t seeing much. It’s like writer’s block. Thankfully there were a few particular moments that sent my brain into high gear, demanding that I run over and make something out of them.

What stands out most to me here is the separation of the subject and the very busy surrounding visuals. Of course I employed the quick vignette to have the center of the image a bit lighter, but there’s a lot more to why he stands out. I think the biggest factor is that he has a composed expression and is shown almost in full. All of the surrounding people are only shown partially – their limbs are cut off, they’re overlapping, they’re holding bags of frozen peas up to where their wisdom teeth were yesterday.

Beyond him (thankfully) being the de facto subject here, the photo also is working because it’s a precise moment in the event. The cake, hidden behind the yellow/green shirted woman, has just been cut and its first piece delivered to our birthday-er. Everyone is packed tight together because they were just rounded up to come sing the celebratory song, and now they linger, awaiting their own piece.

Happy birthday Luke!