One of my best friends came to visit the other day with her son, and I jumped at the opportunity to take a bunch of photos of him. He is a natural in front of the camera. He is also a very complex person with an extensive range of facial expressions. In other words, he is a joy to photograph. This photo is by far my favorite of the ones I took of him. I’ve received a few comments on both Facebook and Instagram about this photo, stating that the person on the photograph looks to be way older than his actual age. While that’s probably true – the monochrome processing does add a few years if not decades to his looks – my goal with this photograph was not to create a regular portrait of him but, rather, emphasize the emotion he is displaying. Granted, the emotion is very much up for interpretation by the viewer. He could be deep in thought, or in pain, or heartbroken, or tired. I like the mystery of it.

(90mm, ISO 1000, f/2.8, 1/80 sec)