I can appreciate the infectious smile, but I can also tell you why the photo will be firmly planted in the (1) snapshot category. It's the same primary reason that virtually every other photo on the planet falls into that category. It's because the photograph fails to eliminate background distractions. Finding a subject to photograph is easy. Finding a perspective which isolates the subject and either removes distractions, or decides that they're a worthy complement to the subject, is the first challenge in making a photograph vs. a snapshot.
In this image, you could argue that people in the background add to the story of this being a convention. That would be a weak argument though. The man on the right with the yellow tie has his head cut off in the middle. And the blue backpack above the subject's head is a major distraction. The first rule of any portrait, formal or informal, is to watch for elements in the background which appear to protrude from the person's head. They aren't always apparent when shooting because they're on a different plane. But those are the first things you want to remember in order to get beyond the snapshot label.
For sure the photo has a special meaning for you and the subject person. I'm not trying to be mean. Just trying to explain how the picture is perceived by the more critical photography community.
I can appreciate the infectious smile, but I can also tell you why the photo will be firmly planted in the (1) snapshot category. It's the same primary reason that virtually every other photo on the planet falls into that category. It's because the photograph fails to eliminate background distractions. Finding a subject to photograph is easy. Finding a perspective which isolates the subject and either removes distractions, or decides that they're a worthy complement to the subject, is the first challenge in making a photograph vs. a snapshot.
In this image, you could argue that people in the background add to the story of this being a convention. That would be a weak argument though. The man on the right with the yellow tie has his head cut off in the middle. And the blue backpack above the subject's head is a major distraction. The first rule of any portrait, formal or informal, is to watch for elements in the background which appear to protrude from the person's head. They aren't always apparent when shooting because they're on a different plane. But those are the first things you want to remember in order to get beyond the snapshot label.
For sure the photo has a special meaning for you and the subject person. I'm not trying to be mean. Just trying to explain how the picture is perceived by the more critical photography community.