I took this photo in the British Museum. The gallery was crowded which made grabbing this shot difficult. But this also made getting close to this group of school children without intruding on them easier. I took several shots of this scene until the teacher noticed me and asked me to back off with a glare. This shot is from well before that.
I like the figures hovering around the edge of the shot. They frame the scene and establish the context of a busy museum. I had to crop the photo slightly to achieve this composition.
The real composition of the photo is inherent to the scene itself (to my point of view on it): the tumble of students filling a corner of the photo, flowing from foreground to back. Our attention to the photo flows through them and is intensified by their attention on their teacher. To his finger. We're drawn to it just like they are.
Gesture is so interesting in a photograph. It adds motion to a static form. There's so much of it here. Fingers touching the ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, hands holding pens, heads tilting...
I don't shoot for colour in my photography, but I love the colour here. The red vs. grey is so strong. The turquoise tote, and white collars and white papers highlight the red blazers. I especially like the red pen held by the boy in front.
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19.03
