Captivating

Let me just say up front that I'm doing M here a great dis-service with this shot, as I kind of did previously with Joe Cool (though he pulls off the cigar pose quite well in that one). The way I've processed these shots gives them a nice grungy look – but the side-effect is it exagerates every pore, wrinkle, freckle and hair of stubble - essentially making the person look a whole lot grittier than they really are. M isn't really this hard-faced, he's usually more like this. So good on you M for being cool with me posting this.

Right, that said, I'm posting this shot because in my opinion it's a really captivating portrait. I'm not sure if I'm wild on the crop (straight out of the camera I'm afraid, so not much I can do) but the shallow depth of field right on the eyes really nails the point of attention. And if you think your eyes get locked on his with this small version, you should see it full-screen on a 24inch monitor – it's seriously right in your face! Your eyes veer off at times to check out the skin texture, the stubble, the wrinkles, but you're just drawn into the shadowy depths of the eyes. Male, female, young, old, a good portrait makes you want to look at all the details, soak it all in, and in that regard I think this is one of my best.