It’s hard to choose a favorite photo from a year of work. Is it the dapper Scottish man at the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival with the sun reflecting on his face? The people serving time who transformed their lives by performing with Shakespeare Behind Bars, and are now out in the world and thriving?
No, for 2025, the ballerinas at Youth America Grand Prix, waiting backstage for their big moment, are my choice. The vivid colors, the lighting on their faces, their concentration, and the maturity coming through despite their ages combine to create an image that tells a story.
People often ask how I decide whom to train my lens on. Sometimes it’s just a matter of where the light falls. But the background matters, too. I don’t like clutter, so I move higher, lower, to the left, or to the right to get a “clean” shot. Photographers can’t arrange candid photographs, but they can arrange themselves to get the best composition possible. In the ballerinas photo, the positions of the dancers create dynamism and depth. And look at the girl on the right with the tilted head. For me, it would be a weaker photo if her head were completely vertical like the others.
Most of all, I look for a spark, an energy in someone’s expression. I often tell people, “Just pretend I’m not here,” because it’s optimal to record subjects acting naturally. These ballerinas barely registered my presence, allowing me to capture their grace.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
CARVER, MASS.: Workers harvest cranberries from a flooded bog at E.J. Pontiff Cranberries, Oct. 1.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
NEW ORLEANS: Tasha Cylar, a school counselor from Alabama, takes a photo of an installation at StudioBE, April 16.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
WHITE MOUNTAINS, N.H.: The observatory atop Mount Washington is covered in snow and ice, Jan. 12.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
LOS ANGELES: Lead puppeteer Ginger Duncan performs in “The Circus,” a show at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Aug. 31.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
LEXINGTON, MASS.: A British army soldier waits to begin a reenactment rehearsal for the Battle of Lexington, April 6.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
WHITEHORSE, YUKON: Sgt. Jim Welsh teaches survival skills on Mount Sima to Maya Poirier (left) and Leandra Brient, members of the Whitehorse Canadian Ranger Patrol, June 18.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
NEW ORLEANS: Brandan Odums, aka BMike, the founder of the StudioBE gallery in the historic Bywater neighborhood, stands near a mural titled “Light,” April 16.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
SLAB CITY, CALIF.: A woman who gave her name as Mojo holds her dog, Mr. Patters, in her self-governed camp, where residents manage their own rules and affairs and also create their own shelters, often using found materials, Feb. 13.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
GLOUCESTER, MASS.: Mia Kubicek eats ice cream at Holy Cow, July 11.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
NEW ORLEANS: Brian Belknap, the street musician behind the One Man Swamp Band, performs in the French Quarter, April 17.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
LINCOLN, N.H.: Bruce Boutwell greets visitors from Clan Rose’s booth at the New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, Sept. 20.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
PASADENA, CALIF.: Mark Pastor and Lisa De Lange pet their cat Skinny Minnie, who spent time in the intensive care unit at Pasadena Humane after being burned in the Eaton wildfire, Feb. 15.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
ALTADENA, CALIF.: Lorna Green (left) and Nicole Moore stand with their daughter, Umalali Green-Moore, in front of their wildfire-ravaged home, Feb. 11.
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
LOUISVILLE, KY.: Jilann Spitzmiller (second from right) and Hank Rogerson (standing) work on the documentary “Shakespeare Beyond Bars,” while Jerry Guenthner (in blue) and Sammie Byron (in red), who were formerly incarcerated, watch baseball with retired warden Larry Chandler, July 26.
A Georgia-based Christian media company is making a major move into the video game industry as faith-based entertainment continues to gain traction. Templar Media announced this week it has acquired Bible X, a Norwegian studio developing a…
