Visual:

The black and white of the image is very common in Ansel Adams work, with dark sharp shades on the walls and piano, with a very clear contrast. There’s no texture as the objects in the image are basic shapes with flat surfaces, not leaving much surface for reflective light. The subjects posture imitates the arms stand and lid of the piano, linking the the subjects environment to himself. The image focal point is the piano, with Igor Stravinsky located in the left bottom corner.

Technical:

The lighting of this image is generally quite bright, seemingly taken with daylight. The image looks generally underexposed, with a high contrast between the soft grey toned walls, and the black piano lid and stand. The aperture has a large depth of field, and the shutter speed seems to be quite short, maybe 1/320 as the image looks quite focused and sharp.

Contextual+Conceptual

Newman liked to capture the essence of his models in all his images, and so chose to have them in their natural environments. Here he had Igor Stravinsky who was an influential composer, and therefore he positioned him by a piano