Two women sit next to each other clad in fashionable garments, decorated with jewelry, and surrounded by wine glasses. They are the subjects of a photograph taken by Lisette Model at a 1940’s Fashion Show in Hotel Pierre New York.
The image caught my eye for several reasons. One reason was simply the expense and the class that is implied in the photograph. In the photograph, Model captures several objects that are literally shining. The woman on the right wears a thick watch or bracelet on her exposed wrist and three strings of pearls hang on her neck. Both women wear rings that are subtle reminders of the notion of the upper class that is implied through the rest of the image. The wine glasses, too, capture and reflect the light, illuminating both the room and the photograph. Even the eyes of the subjects sparkle like they are gems themselves. Together, all of these elements give light and life to the image, removing it from dullness.
Also, the photograph is very appealing to the eye because of its manipulation of the rule of thirds. In all four of the focal points of the “tic tac toe” board, there is an object that is important to the image. The top right point focuses on the face of the woman on the right. Her eyes, as followed by the viewer, lead to the woman on the left, who is the focus of the top left focal point. Below her is a wine glass, the focus of the lower left point, which is directed at by the hand of the first woman, which becomes the focus of the lower right. Each focal point holds something that, alone, are descriptive of the scene. The focus on the woman on the right emphasizes the human aspect of the picture, while the focus on her hand and the jewelry which adorn it, which emphasizes the materialistic aspect. The image seemingly shifts to the left as the subjects on the right point to that direction; the woman’s eyes lead to the woman on the left, and her hand points to the wine glass. The subjects on the lefts portray the same concepts as the right side. Additionally, the gaze of the woman on the left is directed at the camera, and therefore at the viewer, making the scene much more intimate and allowing the viewer to become engaged with her and the scene as a whole.
After reading about the rule of thirds, I expected to find one subject and emphasize it by placing it in one of the focal points of the tic tac toe board. However, after viewing Model’s photograph, I now realize there are more possibilities than that. I can look to include multiple subjects in my photograph, which, as long as they exist in different focal points, will create a longer-lasting interest in the image. Also, the interaction between subjects is something that is engaging of Model’s photograph, which is something I hope to use as well. The guidelines on the rule of thirds, as well as the photographs fromn the Masters of Photography website, were very informative and even more so inspirational.
