My Father - Walter M. Bush. Photographer: Unknown.
According to photography standards of today, this photo is flawed. The highlights are blown in the window. The shadows are blocked up. The focus isn’t sharp and theres a little camera shake. Further, the composition doesn’t follow the rule of thirds.
However, this photo is nearly a masterpiece. The lighting sculpts his face, accentuating his masculinity. The slight camera shake softens his contemplative expression . The composition is perfect in that half the photo is completely white, and half the photo completely black. His eyes are centered in the frame. His gaze is focused ahead to something unknowably pure, but there are bleak events in the past. The photo invites us to a story. It’s not despite the so called “flaws” that this is an excellent photo, it’s because of them.