The picture is superficially unremarkable, yet the use of a narrow depth of field and the subtle contrast of light and shadow make it a tremendously expressive photograph. Coupled with its technical virtuosity, the haggard look of the subject—embroiled in a controversy of his own making, which could potentially ruin his career as well as his life—make the photograph even more expressive: Irving turning towards the darkness, away from the light.
Proposed caption
Clifford Irving at the time his Howard Hughes autobiography hoax was uncovered.