Tomorrow night a photography exhibit opens called Test Shot: Unintended Portraits, which includes a photo of mine.  The show, hatched by photographer Saverio Truglia, features the kinds of shots that normally don’t see the light of day:

These unintended pictures are the consequence of technical or artistic trial and error. They’re often lighting, styling or posing tests that lead toward the intended result of a photo shoot. They can be dismissed as “test shots”, however when judged on their own merits, these off-beat portraits can be so compellingly ambiguous that they challenge our best artistic intentions.

The photograph above is one of my entries that didn’t make it into the show (you’ll have to visit the exhibit to see the picture that did make it in). Why is it unintended? Under normal circumstances, if you were on assignment, photographing the honorable mayor chatting with the local alderman, and you noticed a distracting background element you’d recompose and take another shot. Your photo editor in most cases probably wouldn’t appreciate seeing the hair of a hidden young girl flowing majestically down the mayor’s back in a sassy rat tail. Then again, I guess it depends on the editor.

The opening reception is tomorrow night at 1821 Lofts, which will also be hosting an open house.

Test Shots: Unintended Portraits
Friday May 17, 6-10pm
1821 W. Hubbard St. Chicago, IL 60622