http://www.digitalcameraworld.com March 2016 99
A sudden burst of
emotion in this street
scene in Aix-en-
Provence, France,
transforms the way
the image works, even
though the two images
have near-identical
compositionW
hen people use gesture to convey emotion, it
can sometimes provide the opportunity for a
strong image, quite simply because in most
soc iet ies suc h di splay s tend to be kept u nder
control. Inevitably, these are situations that are hard
to predic t, a nd tend to happen qu ic k ly, so t hey ma ke
the typical demands on capturing the moment: you
need to be prepared and react quickly.
The image on the left is a case in point. Taken in
the main square in Aix-en-Provence in the south of
France, it began as a straightforward photograph of
street café life, shot with a wide-angle lens, but this
sudden display of emotion (who knows what was
happening? I only had time to shoot quickly and
continue walking) changed the focus of attention,
and the balance of the image. The comparison shot
above it, the only other one taken, makes the point:
while the sunlight on the couple highlights them
to an extent, without the gesture and expression
(reinforced by the woman gazing upward), they
really only function as a balancing element for
t he su n l it Tow n Ha l l i n t he bac k g rou nd.
A tighter framing on the couple at this moment,
using a zoom, would have resulted in a very different
image. As I was using a 20mm prime, however, that
wasn’t an option, and the resulting image is arguably
stronger, because the little human drama is being
played out in a wider context, which provides a
nice contrast between setting and couple.Getting all
emotional
Strong gestures draw attention and
alter the balance of a compositionMANUAL EXPRESSION
These crops are from a selection of
images that focus their moment on
the expressiveness of hand gestures.
After the face, the hands are the most
reliably expressive parts of the body.
The type of expression ranges from
practical activity, such as gripping,
pouring and holding; and emotional
gestures such as offering, pointing and
prayer. Even when small in the frame,
an expressive hand gesture can seal
the effectiveness of the picture, as
in page 94’s shot of the tea picker.
DRAMATIC GESTURES
GESTURE & EXPRESSION