Stunt Rider

Reading over a recent thread I found myself questioning the idea that a normal lens doesn't make a good portrait lens. I admire the work of August Sander and think of myself as liking full-length, environmental portraiture.

But when I look over my own work, I find myself picking closer and closer images almost every time, even in a case like this where getting too close risks removing a subject from his meaningful context.

In the case of Rodney -- a stunt bicyclist who entertained crowds at a speedway I documented a few years ago -- the power of his face and the repeating star patterns won out over context.

Anybody else struggling with this question?