Who does the work?

At first glance, it may seem that Schuman’s subjects do most of the “work” in his photographs. He merely takes their picture; they are the ones who wear such tasteful attire. Upon closer examination, however, it becomes evident that Schuman is doing much more than simply portraiting people who he thinks have good taste in clothing. First, it is clear that he pays attention to the treatment of light, as we can see in pictures like this:

Also, Schuman is careful about the composition of his photographs. His doing so is as subtly appealing as is the style of his subjects. Note how in the photograph below, the woman’s bright red purse creates a triangle with the red stoplights, directing the eye in a triangle that outlines the woman.