Lighting can either come from the above, side or bottom. Lighting is important because it make the viewer look at the picture differently. If the photo was darker or it was lit from below, the photo might look more scary if it's bright it would look more happy or more of what we see everyday.
Camera Angle:
A photo can be angled at either, eye level, above the subject, below the subject, not squared or slanted. these are all important to the way a person would look at it, if the viewer was at eye level with the photo, they may feel more equal to the person. However if the photo was taken from below the subject the viewer might feel small and if it was taken above they might feel larger. for the photo to be slanted or not squared the viewer may think that the subject is uneven or unstable.
Proximity:
The distance of the photo could be really far from the subject, medium long, medium (face), a close up or an extreme close up. if the subject was very far away or at a medium distance, it could be how the viewer would see people everyday and would feel normal to them. if you were at a medium distance from someones face it could be how the people talk to each other and the closer the subject gets the larger it looks. a close-up or an extreme close-up could make the viewer think that the subject is larger then it is.
The three variables I would say were used in this picture would be insufficient light, the angle used would be at eye level and the proximity would be medium long. I think this picture of Matt Ridgeway makes him look tough, because the lighting is dark and he's not looking directly at the camera, making us feel like were not his main priority but whatever he's looking at in the picture is. Or that he's also feeling inspired because he's just staring at a distance and thinking about something else. The camera angle would be at eye level, making him look more equal to us or someone you're able to approach, but with the background being all black it makes you focus more on him and making him look a bit intimidating. the proximity would probably medium long, because hes not too far, but his face isn't to close to the camera either. I think him wearing his uniform makes him look more professional it shows that he's someone important.
