Lily is our most peaceful child. She could sit still on the kitchen counter watching Sam cook as a toddler. Friends would come over to visit with Sam and would panic when Sam would place her next to the stove and work all over the kitchen.

Lily could sit on my lap while I worked on the computer for hours. Literally hours.
One time I thought to test her patience. I placed her on the shelf of my closet with her “Mimi” blanket. She laid there sucking her thumb and watched me clean the bathroom.  After about 20 minutes I grabbed my camera and documented the occurance.

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Photo tips, philosophical droppings and technical information

Shot with a canon eos 1n 35mm camera on tri-x film. 24mm lens. Exposure unknown.

This worked because the subject (Lily) was bathed in the light from the ceiling. The clothing was further from the light source so of course she was the brightest thing in the closet.
That brings me to a simple principle of photography. The object in the photograph that posesses the highest contrast is the first thing your eye will go  to. That’s why portrait photographers often try to make the eyes whiter.
Test it. Look at any photograph and you’ll notice whatever has the highest contrast first. It’s just the way our optic nerve responds to stimulus.

-Jon Ball is a portrait photographer living in Boise, Idaho. His portraits can be found at www.studiojonball.com. Thanks for reading photo tips.