“After thirty years Alice is Retiring” by Thomas Horton

Thomas Horton’s photograph titled “After thirty years Alice is retiring”, is a photograph of a woman taken from what appears to be the porthole of a cruise ship. The location is on the water with no land on the horizon, suggesting a location way out on the ocean. The view of the woman is partial, showing her in a sitting position from the rear and looking out at the water ahead of her. On her head is a rabbit head gear that may suggest a Disney character. With the position of the figure in a relaxed sitting position facing the ocean, the effect is that of contemplation and relaxation. The purpose of the photograph appears to be to show that Alice is enjoying her retirement by relaxing on a cruise. This is done by showing her facing the water with nothing but the horizon and the blue sky ahead of her. The mood or feeling that this creates is one of calm and peace.

The photograph has three of the compositional principles that were on the Steve McCurry video. There are three sections to the photograph which makes the rule of thirds one of them. The picture is composed with the figure in the middle, and framed with empty space to the left and space to the right. The second principle is that of frame within a frame. The main section of the picture with the figure is round rectangular shape with a round shape in the middle can be easily viewed as a symbol of a camera, and is effectively a frame within a frame. The third principle is that of symmetry. The figure is in the with as much space to the right, to the left and at the top. The dominant principle however is frame within a frame.

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