That extra something
For other examples:
Bill Brandt p. 29
Lee Friedlander p. 71
Stephen J. Morgan p. 107
This image by Inzajeano Latif reminds me that photography is a form of magic. It has the ability to do so much more than simply show us what something or someone looks like. Photography – great photography – manages to penetrate the surface of the world and show us a little of what lies beneath.
OK, of course photography isn’t magic. What we’re looking at here is a skilfully constructed collection of elements. Those clenched fists wrapped in torn fabric. That beautiful light which falls somewhere between hard and soft. The warm orange against that cool blue. And that stare. That confrontational yet vulnerable stare.
But, while all of this is true, the photograph seems to dig a little deeper. Somehow it adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
You could master every photography technique out there. You could have every piece of kit and know all the jargon. But that wouldn’t help you capture images like this, as they require an altogether different approach.
So what is it? I asked Latif that very question. He thought for a moment and said,
‘Don’t overthink things. Photograph what you feel.’
The magic of photography, the bit that can’t quite be explained, is you.
Female Boxer #3
Inzajeano Latif
2009