Alberto Monteraz

Alberto Monteraz is a Spanish photographer specialising in portraiture. He uses a large format digital camera, a Canon D3, to shoot his images, and while I am not planning on shooting digital I really like the composition he uses in the majority of his images. In an interview for Flicklr he claimed that he often uses subjects he finds on the streets that he believes would make a good picture, rather than actively seeking professionals, and that while his images always appear natural this is rarely actually his intention, yet he says it's 'the only thing I can do'. These natural looking portraits are particularly effective to me mainly due to the relaxed nature and atmosphere within them, mixed with the eye contact between viewer and subject, forming a connection between the two. 

This image is called "un desconocido, la carretera" which in English means 'A stranger, a road', named supposedly due to the fact he found this subject hitchhiking 'in the middle of nowhere' when  the photographer was on his way home from a trip. When asked about his favourite three portraits this was the third he mentioned, and talked of how the man was patient for the photographer to find the ideal red background. 

The composition of this image really makes the image stand out, in my opinion. The red background especially; the monochrome tones of his clothes stand out in contrast against those of the vibrant red background. His face, however, compliments the background with warm facial tones, and therefore almost merges the image together; it feels comfortable to the eye while also standing out.

The colour tones aren't the only things making this image 'pop'; the variety of textures seen emphasises this further. The jacket and facial hair has a lot of texture, which is made more prominent by Monteraz shooting at F1.6 which results in a softened background. 

To me, the way he has edited the photo makes it look as if it could have been shot on film.

The way the image is framed, with the subject in the centre and with little gap between the top of the head and the top of the image, almost forces him into the viewers face. You can't not look at him; he's looking directly at the viewer with almost a knowing but friendly look on his face, forming a connection between both him and the viewer.

The background being red will mean different things to each person, for the colour has a variety of connotations such as love, passion, romance, death, danger and blood. To me, the orange/red colour brings a friendly warmth to the image, especially when in conjunction with the man's slight smile. This then becomes a rather lighthearted photograph to me.

I am most interested in composing my images similarly to Monteraz, as I wish for them to draw in an audience the same way. I will experiment with different apertures to help me figure whether to have a shallow depth of field like Monteraz often uses, or use a small aperture to perhaps make the scene more immersive.