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I thought I'd share some images with you, to kinda give you an impression of how I make some of these shots, or how they come together. They're a picture I took in Times Square. When we first arrived at Times Square, we were standing on the corner trying to get hold of Dean and/or trying to decide what to do next. I, of course, was wandering around the corner with my camera. Across the street were some bleachers with glass railings. A little girl caught my eye. She was playing with her brand new American Girl doll.
I zoomed way in. I couldn't just center the girl, because she wasn't really all that interesting, image-wise. There was a woman standing to the left of her, so I used her to balance with the little girl. Following the rule of thirds, I put the woman on the left, and the girl on the right.
This image is cropped a bit. On the very right, you can see a white shoe. The owner of that show was in the shot, it turned out the standing woman was the real subject of the photo, and that other person threw the balance off too far. So that brings us to this image.
However... I'm sure the first thing you noticed was not the little girl, or even the standing woman, but the face on the billboard behind them. I don't believe I ever saw that when I was standing there on the corner. A good photographer sees these things. I often do, but there was a lot going on in this neighborhood, and I was concentrating on the little girl, and some balancing features. But once the face was on my monitor, it changed things.
The woman was easily identified as the main focal point of interest. The girl was small and hidden behind the reflections of the glass. Even her dress blends in with the background. Not only that, but the whole background on that end of the picture is a mess. So lets get rid of it.
This transforms the image. We've gotten rid of all the extraneous stuff that we could. The format is now vertical. The woman is on the right, the laughing face is in the upper left. The balance is not bad. I wish the man had sat down. He kinda keeps it from perfection. I wish I'd kept an eye on the scene, to see if he'd sat down while she remained. But to be honest, I don't think I saw him there either.
There are still issues, though. The whole right edge is dead - the signs, the empty wall, the shopping bag. The people in the lower part aren't bad. I think they provide a setting for the woman's contemplation. If we can ignore the guy, it's balanced pretty well. But I tightened it up even further. The rule is that if you can crop something out, you should. Your intent is to illustrate the subject of your image. Remove extraneous background. The more emphasis you put on the subject, the better. Generally. So...
Too bad that guy is still there, but now he's a balancing factor. There's this giant grinning face on the wall, and the woman is in another place, and the guy is totally unconcerned - a counterpoint, with his dark clothes. He's gone from a guy standing there, to a relevant element. There's hardly an extraneous element.
Notice how closely I copped the grinning face? Is half of that face "extraneous"? Considering that you can still tell it's a grinning face, I'd say yes. You don't lose any of the feeling that it grants to the photo. It's still exuberant. I think the subject of the image is the people and their disconnectedness. Since the billboard is really part of the background, you can sacrifice part of it.
The problem with this image is technical - it's fuzzy. These people were so far away, that at the time, I wasn't entirely sure it was a woman. I didn't know the little girl had a doll, let alone an American Girl.
When I judge a photo, one of the things I look at is how it could have been improved. Waiting for the guy to sit down, maybe? I could have moved to the right. That might have put the man behind the woman, the girl in front of the grey part of the wall, and the face directly above/behind the woman. That could have been interesting.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little look at how to make an image out of a photograph.
And if you want to see where this was taken, check this out. The billboard is above the first taxi, and the bleachers are above the third taxi.
I zoomed way in. I couldn't just center the girl, because she wasn't really all that interesting, image-wise. There was a woman standing to the left of her, so I used her to balance with the little girl. Following the rule of thirds, I put the woman on the left, and the girl on the right.
This image is cropped a bit. On the very right, you can see a white shoe. The owner of that show was in the shot, it turned out the standing woman was the real subject of the photo, and that other person threw the balance off too far. So that brings us to this image.
However... I'm sure the first thing you noticed was not the little girl, or even the standing woman, but the face on the billboard behind them. I don't believe I ever saw that when I was standing there on the corner. A good photographer sees these things. I often do, but there was a lot going on in this neighborhood, and I was concentrating on the little girl, and some balancing features. But once the face was on my monitor, it changed things.
The woman was easily identified as the main focal point of interest. The girl was small and hidden behind the reflections of the glass. Even her dress blends in with the background. Not only that, but the whole background on that end of the picture is a mess. So lets get rid of it.
This transforms the image. We've gotten rid of all the extraneous stuff that we could. The format is now vertical. The woman is on the right, the laughing face is in the upper left. The balance is not bad. I wish the man had sat down. He kinda keeps it from perfection. I wish I'd kept an eye on the scene, to see if he'd sat down while she remained. But to be honest, I don't think I saw him there either.
There are still issues, though. The whole right edge is dead - the signs, the empty wall, the shopping bag. The people in the lower part aren't bad. I think they provide a setting for the woman's contemplation. If we can ignore the guy, it's balanced pretty well. But I tightened it up even further. The rule is that if you can crop something out, you should. Your intent is to illustrate the subject of your image. Remove extraneous background. The more emphasis you put on the subject, the better. Generally. So...
Too bad that guy is still there, but now he's a balancing factor. There's this giant grinning face on the wall, and the woman is in another place, and the guy is totally unconcerned - a counterpoint, with his dark clothes. He's gone from a guy standing there, to a relevant element. There's hardly an extraneous element.
Notice how closely I copped the grinning face? Is half of that face "extraneous"? Considering that you can still tell it's a grinning face, I'd say yes. You don't lose any of the feeling that it grants to the photo. It's still exuberant. I think the subject of the image is the people and their disconnectedness. Since the billboard is really part of the background, you can sacrifice part of it.
The problem with this image is technical - it's fuzzy. These people were so far away, that at the time, I wasn't entirely sure it was a woman. I didn't know the little girl had a doll, let alone an American Girl.
When I judge a photo, one of the things I look at is how it could have been improved. Waiting for the guy to sit down, maybe? I could have moved to the right. That might have put the man behind the woman, the girl in front of the grey part of the wall, and the face directly above/behind the woman. That could have been interesting.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little look at how to make an image out of a photograph.
And if you want to see where this was taken, check this out. The billboard is above the first taxi, and the bleachers are above the third taxi.
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no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 09:52 am (UTC)From:;)
I'm so hit and miss about photography it's ridiculous.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 02:06 pm (UTC)From:As long as you end up with good ones, that's the important part.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 10:50 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 01:55 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 02:07 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2010-06-07 02:17 pm (UTC)From:I guess it's a case of art being in the eye of the beholder isn't it? I enjoy all of your photos.
The ones from New York are just outstanding. They kind of made me homesick for the place, even though it's not home. I miss our yearly trips there to pick up and deliver christinA to school... and the fun I had there when I flew in during spring break her senior year. It's such an interesting city! I think Mara is going to be married there, in Central Park, so that will give me a good excuse to get us back!