For a Duke University Magazine profile of a high-profile neuro-oncologist, our reporter and photographer followed him home to his farm, where he reconnects by planting vegetables. A photo of him became something special when instead of one of the many obvious garden images they followed him into his office, which turned out to be something like the Platonic ideal of an academic office. The photographer was up to the task, making an image that shows the professor in his space but makes the space, not the professor, the subject of the image.
From the Judges
A distinctive take on portraying a physician, this image captures a mind at work in a space full of history and thought. The contrast between the analog setting and the subject’s use of technology adds depth and narrative.
