Photography is the art of making imagery through manipulation of light. In my humble opinion, nothing best illustrates this description more than Thomas Holton’s photo called “Break Time”. The subject matter of the photo is a woman, possibly the mother, sitting alone in what looks like the family’s living room or kitchen. The intention of the photographer in this photo is to portray the life of someone just living their everyday life. The feeling that is portrayed in the photograph is the sense of loneliness but also some hints of strength. My favorite part of the photo is definitely the overall color palette of the image. It has that toned down colors that really give the photo a cinematic feel to it. Moreover, even though the overall tone of the image is somewhat lonely with the usage of a warmer light, it adds a very homey/warm vibe to the photo.
One of the elements that immediately catches my eye is the repetition of the color red. It is very eye-catching and gives the overall mood of the photo somewhat of a warmness to it. The second element that is apparent in the photo is the usage of the right wall to have separation between the figure and ground. Moreover, this gives the photo a more 3d look that stops the photo from looking flat. And lastly the element present in the photo is the usage of leading lines. We can see this everywhere in the photo, from the handle of the unused chair to the door itself. But the strongest line is definitely the table that is being used by the women which directly leads the viewers eyes to the subject.
the wall on the right could be considered as a frame within a frame. it cuts off the right side of the photo concentrating the viewer on the woman. And the doorway on the left contributes as well. Even more though than the things you mention, the contrast of light and dark brings our attention to the main subject. She is dark shape against a light background.