P & P - Part One People Aware - Exercise 4 - An active portrait

This exercise asks for the subject to be captured whilst engaging in an activity, capturing the subject in the context of what they do.

I had a quick read of what Wiki regards a portrait to be, "artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant". However the exercise mentions that these type of images are often used editorially often accompanying an interview or an article focused on that person's life.

In a series of images not each image would need to show the person's face. The person could be implied because they are specifically mentioned or perhaps because the editorial is accompanied by a set of images, variation of the images and style could be important to the article.

An editorial could be accompanied by images reflecting what that person does, or perhaps a high flyer, media icon, actor etc it could be considered important to show them performing an everyday activity for something that you would not associate that person doing.

I feel now in my photography whilst I develop, improve basics and learn new things that I should also be challenging the normal.  a portrait where the face of the subject is missing. This then also facilitates the image being sold as a stock library image and not requiring a model release

In this particular instance I've taken a picture of the subject doing what for most could be an everyday thing, making a cup of tea. 

Michael Freeman mentions that an image is sometimes better if elements within an image are there to be discovered and not seen at first glance. So in the image below I've used 3 cups. One cup suggests a cup of tea is being made for one person, the photographer is almost observational and not part of the scene. Two cups could include the photographer, or perhaps an unseen person, 3 cups suggests more people, where are they, is this person part of a group or family?

The light is behind the camera allowing light to reach the person and elements in the image and to be captured in the image. Taking an image on the opposite side then results in the camera struggling with bright light from the window and the options are a subject in shade / dark exposure compared to the window light correctly exposed, or the subject correctly exposed and the window over exposed. The camera position is lower allowing the subject and the activity to be more central to the image, the individual placed on a right hand vertical third, the cups and intersection of third lines, a zing point. Milk being poured indicates an activity being performed and not a static position captured. The diagonal lines of the work top direct the eye to the cups which stand out against a dark worktop. You cannot see the subject's face but it is concentrating on focused to ensure the correct amount of milk is poured.

A lot can be read into an image, and simple at first is not always simple. Interestingly though no kettle is seen, and only milk is being poured, most people would assume cups of tea are being made.