For this assignment, I’ve chosen Suzanne Stein. Under New York Street Two, there is a photo entitled, “Times Square”, that intrigues me. It takes place in Times Square, NY, where it is always crowded and so much happening. The face paced city seems to slow down in this photograph, and I think that was the photographer’s intention. The main subject is a young black mail, who evidently is on the job, but was captured in a moment of thought. Who knows what he could be thinking about? That curiosity invites me into the photo. In the background, you see people perhaps rushing or going in their own directions, going away from the main subject. What I admire about this photograph is the reflection in the glass, which fills the frame, and illustrates this illusion of another dimension.
From the Steve McCurry video, I’ve identified several compositional principles. Due to the reflection through the glass, Suzanne Stein accomplished Symmetry. The same elements and objects you see on the left side is reflected on the right. Due to the glass reflection, there is another principle of Frame Within a Frame. That glass reflection/frames creates a narrative of another place within the location. Because the main subject is being portrayed in both his real self and reflected self, the principle of Figure to Ground is achieved.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-RWTJ99s/2/XL/i-RWTJ99s-XL.jpg
You identified clearly the devices that Stein uses to focus our attention on the young man is what is a chaotic scene.
I also get a sense that he is stuck. The horizontal line of the window and his reflection anchor him in place just as I imagine his financial situation forces him to try to convince tourists to go on bus tours.