“Southern California,” by Henry Wessel. Via Graeme Mitchell Photography

I spent a few hours Saturday poring over the photography assembled at SFMOMA as part of their 75th anniversary extravaganza.

There was some fantastic photography there, some of it from photographers who were completely unknown to me.

Unfortunately, most of the stuff that really struck me has proven difficult to find online, and (being the boy scout I never was) I neglected to take pictures at the museum, where doing so is frowned on by the blue blazer brigade.

Wessel’s photograph above is one of the exceptions, and while it isn’t my absolute favorite of the day, it’s close enough.

Superficially, there are a lot of little faults one could find with this photograph. (This would be great fodder for a round of TOP’s Great Photographers on the Internet, in fact.)

But these are the things which, in my view, make this photograph really work:

• The photograph is dominated by light tones and fairly low contrast. This means there is little for the eye to grab hold of. However, the sunglasses and the shadow below the man’s chin provide the missing contrast, and create a strong visual pull toward the center of the frame.

• The opaque glasses mask the man’s eyes. Together with his oddly tentative body language, his blank expression, and the shadow which almost decapitates him, they create a sense of profound ambiguity.

• The ambiguity of the man is perfectly framed by the exuberant font with which the building (motel? apartments?) proclaims its identity. The combination is both parodical and poignant, and I find it quite compelling.

I’ll see what else I can dig up to show you. But if you’re in the Bay Area in the next few weeks, I strongly recommend paying a visit.