PAINTING WITH LIGHT

Regarding the photo of director Nicholas Hytner by Al Seib on Page 3 of the Jan. 8 issue:

The lighting, composition, color, texture and mood of this photograph are so outstanding, I almost took it to be a painting (and I mean this as the highest form of compliment).

Everything about this photograph is so outstanding. The framing of the subject. The sunset glow pressed between the buildings below and a darkening sky from above--a sense of compression. The angle of the chair and the subject. The hands, so defined, and the sweater with a texture that I can “feel” through my eyes.

I don’t know how the photographer achieved this remarkable photograph, or how long it may have taken to shoot, or how much of the effect is due to lab magic. No matter. It is truly a work of art.

JORIAN CLAIR

Los Angeles