Woody Allen 1969

Philippe Halsman made this photograph of Woody Allen, and he chose to work in black and white. The process here seems straightforward, but that’s deceptive, right? It's always a series of choices. Look at the granular texture across the surface of the print. The way the light falls gives everything a certain depth. I'm particularly drawn to the subtle gradations in the shadows around his eyes, creating a sense of depth and introspection. Those dark frames also give his eyes a sense of heightened focus, as if he’s peering into something unseen. Halsman’s framing is interesting: He’s not trying to tell us anything about the world that Allen lives in. In this way, it reminds me of some of Irving Penn’s portraiture – a similar focus on the sitter, stripping away extraneous detail. Ultimately, it's about the enduring power of the photographic image to capture something essential about a person. The meaning is always up for grabs, and it’s in that open space that the art happens.