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American Barber

Photographers, it seems, are always on the lookout for the opportunity to photograph another photograph. This “frame within a frame,” as New York street photographer Joel Meyerowitz calls it, can serve as a compositional crutch. Not so with “American Barber.”

Instead photographer Shavar Ross has focused on the barber’s glimpse, creating a tension of implied action between subject and viewer. Seeing this look from a barber ourselves, we would reflexively tilt our head to get a better view of the expression that is skillfully concealed.

Shavar makes his living as a filmmaker and his ability to capture a moment of impending movement, a strength of still photography, shows his comfort in both elements. Starting with a cinematic backdrop — this barber shop seems destined for an on-location shoot someday — he perfectly danced along the boundaries between two artistic mediums. And in this combination, I think he showed how technique itself turns a mirror toward the photographer.

-- catherinejamieson

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