Effective pictures engage the viewer by eliciting an emotional response. They can be so simple that there is no doubt as to the photographers intentions, but they may require more than one look to make sense of them.

 When people are the subjects we draw instinctive conclusions from their expressions and body language. We look to the eyes to provide clues and if none are forthcoming we use imagination to fill in the gaps, our conclusions conditioned by environment and personal experience. 

The staring eyes of Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho in Dylan Martinezs picture speak volumes. His team have just been knocked out in the semi-final stages of Europes top club tournament and it was clearly important to him but we dont need to know the details to sense his disappointment.

In Rupak de Chowdhuris picture the faces are harder to find but once located they stare expressionlessly straight at the camera through the sea of hands which are pressed against the glass in an attempt to make contact with the occupants of the vehicle. This is an appeal for help. These children of tea workers on a closed-down tea estate in West Bengal are asking for food in an area where more than 150 people have died of malnutrition in the past year but without knowing that you can tell that these kids are in trouble.

The consumer of news images needs to be able to ascertain the who, what, why, when and how, but a good picture will always work on some level without the need for explanation.