Photo and story by photo editor Danny Fulgencio
For the photo pictured above of high school senior Rocio Valadez, we had to shoot quickly on account of busy schedules.
In such instances, one of the tricks to making interesting portraits is to find a communicative backdrop. Here we used the lines of a stairwell at Thomas Jefferson High School, which offered enough angularity to spark interest.
By framing Rocio off-center and letting the architecture lead the eye, the image lends a greater opportunity for geometric and social interpretation.
Making a human connection helps too, of course. Thankfully, Rocio was a truly pleasant person to work with and is undoubtedly headed toward a bright future.
The next time you’re making photos of friends and family, try telling the story using an interesting backdrop. Doing so can say just as much about the person being photographed.
If you haven’t checked out Rocio’s story, click here.
