Imagine.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

A Different Spectrum

Photo Critique (By Susan Welchman, Illustrations Editor)

Their eyelashes, hair, and lips match. This image is unique in a lot of ways. The photographer wasn't looking through the camera but holding it above her. And the sisters aren't exactly profiled. There's a beautiful negative space between them, a dark space that illuminates their profile. There's also a piece of blue shirt from one sister and none from the other, so the photo is not a mirror image. A slight magic comes into a picture when you're not planning it. The photographer can't even see through the camera, so the framing is a lucky one. And the beauty of that hair—the one curl, the dip in the middle like clouds, not combed or arranged but incredibly intertwined—makes it almost look like one head of hair. Albinism is not something you would choose in life, but it doesn't seem to be a handicap for these girls. They're very beautiful, and they have each other for life. There are just so many elements of beauty in this picture.

I have always loved photos, and shooting them as well. A lot of book covers, magazines, ads and billboards made me stop and do a double-take because they feature really nice photos. I was going through National Geographic: Your Shot Top Choices on the net since I wanted to submit some of the photos I took. Instead of being able to submit one of mine, I became preoccupied with looking at this one and other photos that were submitted.

I admired the photographer for taking the photo since I loved it so much. It reminded me of the closeness my sister and I have. To add to that, it also has details that I find so nice. The twirl of hair looks so magical, as if it was fresh out of a fairy tale. The lighting looks like it was morning and the Albino sisters had just woken up when they took the photo. They look very happy and here we see Albinism as something beautiful. Both sisters are legally blind because of their albinism, and yet this photo, taken by Anna Reid, 19, turned out really nicely.

Photos really do make me smile. They always amaze me and they always make me wonder what was happening when they took the photo, who was behind the camera and why was that photo shot in the first place.

Photo taken from: National Geographic