Sandro Bäbler

Who?

After I read the bio on his website, I immediately knew that this young Swiss photographer would be one to follow more closely. He is an autodidact and decided to become a pro photographer after an intense few months traveling around the world.

It was via a Broncolor tweet that I discovered his work. He did some personal work in South Africa, in between client work, and the picture that was included caught my eye. 

Check out his portfolio for yourself here.

The picture

An unconventional beauty shot

Mood

I just love the atmosphere this picture has. The flow of the hair just adds incredible dynamic, which is enhanced by the choice of a monochrome palette (color would not work for this shot, or at least not as good as B/W). 

Lighting

The primary light source comes most definitely from the right side/high angle of the subject. You can spot the drop-off in light on her right shoulder quite clearly. Also the shadow under her chin in easily noticeable and to my taste emphasizes the jawline quite nicely. Another tonal observation is the darker area close to her head, which gradually gets brighter to the edge of the frame (the ends of her hair). 

Composition

The hair makes up the majority of the frame and because her face is not visible, it also serves as the main focus point. I also like the fact that the hair acts as a leading line within the picture. The eye of the viewer gets drawn from the edge of the frame towards the center. You then get swept to the other side of the frame, because she is looking away from the camera. This dynamic that guides the eye edge-to-edge of the frame makes it particularly compelling to look at.