Composition and Lighting: Harry Callahan’s Eleanor

Harry Callahan’s Eleanor really drew my attention because the composition and lighting of this photo seem really unique. There is a silhouette of a woman not quite at the center of the image. Surrounding the silhouette are many branches that fan out from the square shot of the silhouette. The dynamic balance in this photo is interesting because while the branches spread out in every direction, making them dynamic, all the branches are anchored and balanced with the grounded square silhouette. Everything about this photo seems to be somewhat asymmetric. The silhouette is not quite in the center of the photo but is a bit lower than from the center. The woman in the silhouette is stretching her arms out, but she is not symmetric either. The woman’s arms look as if one is spread out further than the other and she is standing at an angle, with most of her weight being put on her left leg. This positioning of the woman is interesting because everything seems chaotic and natural. The branches are spread out chaotically with no sense of pattern or rhythm. The woman is also asymmetric, but she grounds the whole image. As for the lighting in this photo, the outlines of the branches on the top of the image can be clearly seen as it seems that they were shot under natural lighting. It is harder to see the outlines of the branches in the bottom, but the outlines of the immediate branches that surround the silhouette seem to be lit by the lighting of the silhouette, which makes the silhouette pop out more to the viewer’s eyes. The silhouette itself seems to be backlit so that the outline of the woman is clearly seen on the projected canvas.

Callahan, Harry. Eleanor, America. 1951. Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York City. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/266590