I’m not really a photography expert, but I know what I like, and if you ask me, there’s a lot to love in this shot of Elijah Wood from the September cover of H magazine. Like a great story, it’s got tone, mood, character, texture, lighting. And face it, people, Wood is just plain gorgeous here.
In my past life as a magazine editor, when I assigned a photographer to a story, I told him what it was about and suggested what might work, but, ultimately, I trusted his artist’s eye. Sometimes, I traveled on assignment and had to be both writer and photographer. Each time I clicked the shutter, I prayed that eye would be there for me.
When proof sheets came in, I poured over them, searching for that one shot that supported the story visually and told its own even if you never read a word of the copy. Sometimes it took a whole roll of film or five or ten to get just the right one. But as they say, film is cheap, but the perfect picture is a pearl beyond price.
I gotta hand it to the photographer here. She’s got the eye. Or he does. Whoever. It’s beautiful.
I’m in complete agreement. I’ve always loved his eyes. This photo makes me wonder what he’s thinking about.