Dramatic Portrait

Yesterday's challenge from the folks at Photochallenge.org was PORTRAIT. For my Theatre and Photography class, I took "Dramatic Portraits" as well as "Portraits of Actors." For this dramatic portrait of Ryan, I was inspired by early portrait photographers, such as Napoleon Sarony, who used painted backdrops and accessories that referenced the subjects' professions. Early photographs required long exposure times, and so the subjects only adopted poses that could be held (although they sometimes had help from contraptions such as head braces!) I posed Ryan in a corner, surrounded by a wall of math, peering out from behind a stack of math books. If I remember correctly, I think I bumped up the color saturation and contrast because it made Ryan look a bit more run down. For those that know that Ryan, this portrait should be self-explanatory. :-P