It was always fascinating to see how children in remote Laotian villages respond to a camera. They are not used to being photographed, and seemed quite curious. You can hardly get as strong a contrast in attitude toward the camera as from this pair of young boys. Yet also look at the similarity in hand positions. Each holds his right hand in his left at this moment. This image tells us that siblings, while quite different in personalities, will often unconsciously mimic each other’s mannerisms. I cropped this image into a square to complement this comparison. A square provides an equal balance, and since we are comparing the responses of two siblings here, why not give them equal emphasis in the surrounding frame? I bring the eye into this frame with a leading line at the edge of the carpet in the lower right hand corner. The leg of the older brother parallels that line. The pair of brothers and the big pot carries the eye to the left and then up the green bamboo support pole. A matrix of woven right angles echoes this geometry in the wall behind them. Nothing is left to chance. Every inch of this picture has a job to do.