This image photographed by Diane Arbus is titled Kid in Black-Face with Friend, N.Y.C 1957. This photograph shows a great example of short depth of field because the focus is on the shorter kid with his face painted black. The depth of field makes the composition more powerful because the subject, a little boy, staring at the camera, while partaking in racism, is astonishing. The artist’s choice of depth of field definitely made this composition more impactful.
Diane Arbus often photographed people on the margins of society and in that way, contributed to extending to notions of what was acceptable in photography – even to the point of capturing racism to confront it.