When less is more: obscuring detail to make your point.

Editorial photographs work best when they interpret, rather than literally describe, their subjects. Interpretive pictures say something to viewers: they make a point, put forth an idea, convey a message. Often they say more by showing less, obscuring details to make the subject less literal and more abstract. This "less is more" approach actively brings the imaginations of viewers into play, creating an opportunity for more effective communication.

For example, this picture of a snowplow in action on the cover of the Iowa Department of Transportation's employee newsletter does not belabor the obvious. We can't see what this snow plow "looks like." An employee does not wave to us from the window. Stalled cars and drifting snow are not in the frame. The plow is barely visible -- the glare of its lights stabs through blurred streaks of white. Its angled blade is raised, ready to clear the road ahead. By showing less, this picture interprets the snowplow's task for us, representing its struggle against the forces of nature. This organization must keep Iowa's roads open. This picture sums up that goal.

Be careful, however, when deleting detail. Sometimes, deliberately showing less can backfire on us. Newsletter readers were asked to guess the identity of a "mystery reader" in our second example. They were given clues in the caption. The subject's face is digitally blurred out, creating a frighteningly surreal image. Seeing someone without a face is not a pleasant experience. I think many readers would prefer to turn the page quickly, rather than participate in this guessing game. Why not use a more natural way to hide this person's identity? Just picture him peering over the top of the paper at us. His humanity thus preserved, he would be daring us to guess his identity, creating interplay between the mystery man and the publication's readers.

Another way to obscure a visual point naturally is to shoot from behind the subject. In our third example, a frame from a CIGNA Corporation national TV commercial, a point is made to reinforce the advertisement's message: "Cigna's real business is...caring.

Because he has turned away from us, we can't see the expression of the older man being hugged. We can only imagine it. The woman giving the hug closes her eyes to savor the moment better, making a visual point. She can't see his expression, either. Because of what is not in view, the intensity of this embrace is greatly enhanced.

In our final example, we see a partially obscured face of a child biting into a donut at a corporate event. His eyes are squeezed shut, and much of his face and treat are lost in a crumpled paper towel as he chomps down on the pastry. The abstracted logo on his shirt provides a corporate context.

This photo, shot for SCANA Corporation's Insights magazine (Columbia, S.C.), interprets the simple act of eating by showing us less and thereby giving us more. Used as a cover shot, this image urges all who see it to share in this moment of pleasure.

Philip N. Douglis, ABC, is director of The Douglis Visual Workshops, now in its 30th year of training communicators in visual literacy. Douglis, an IABC Fellow, is the most widely known consultant on editorial photography for organizations. He offers a comprehensive six-person Communicating with Pictures workshop every May and October in Oak Creek Canyon, near Sedona, Arizona. For current openings and registration information, call Douglis at 602-493-6709, or e-mail him at [e-mail]. He also welcomes tearsheets for possible use in this column. Send to The Douglis Visual Workshops, 2505 E. Carol Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85028.