Here is a well-executed studio portrait of an elderly gentleman, dramatically lit with attention to avoiding strong shadows on the subtle and seamless backdrop. I particularly like the immediacy of his expression – lips slightly parted as if he is about to speak to someone on his right, his eyes penetrating and alive, so unlike many portraits where the sitter is self conscious or merely waiting for the exposure to be accomplished.
I am partial to full beards: every man in my own immediate family has worn one without interruption, my father for the last 30 years of his life, I since I was 21, my son since his high school days. Fashion be hanged, we like the look and have foregone the daily shaving ritual. Of the seven generations for which we have photographic portraits, we three share it with only one other, more than a 100 year gap. (None of the women sport beards, which is just as well.)