When I get back from shooting it’s not uncommon for me to download my photos right away to see what worked and what didn’t. More than not, there will be a whole slew of throw aways. In Lightroom, I immediately mark them for deletion and, when sure I won’t want them, get rid of them all at once with a simple push of the mouse button.
Sometimes I look back on the photos I thought weren’t that great and have new creative insight. “Well, how would it look if I crop it this way… maybe tilt it a bit that way… play with the colors here…” and a whole new image emerges.
Take these images for example. Only one of these immediately interested me: the girl with the red shirt. With a little tinkering in Lightroom, the final product didn’t have to be cropped much (in my opinion…and that’s often what it comes down to: just opinion). But the contrast and colors could be edited to make the image much more striking.
Now check out the girl holding the fruit. My immediate instinct was to delete it. After all, the girl is out of focus, except for her earring. But after pulling in on her face, thereby cutting out another head jumping into the bottom of the frame, the photo becomes less cluttered. Since her face isn’t sharp in focus, I decided to make it even more blurry and just a bit dreamy. Finally, by desaturating all of the color except for yellows and greens, I was able to come up with an image I enjoy looking at. My eye finds itself drawn to the ear (because it is sharp) and the colors of the fruit and dress. Does it work in the end? I don’t know, but I’m liking it regardless.
And finally, how about this sweet girl with the busy patterned shirt? She has an intriguing face, but I really hate the industrial feel of the bike parts behind her to the left. There are also two more faces popping in: above right and far right. Crop by pulling in closer and what we get is a nicer framing. We can enjoy this girl’s face to its fullest, though the viewer does wonder what the other kid behind her is doing. (If you’re familiar with taking pictures in Africa, you might just realize that it’s nearly impossible to get only one kid’s pic when a million are all crowding around to have their picture taken.) Lastly, by blowing out the image with light I can more fully appreciate the contours of her face and get lost in those big eyes.
February 7, 2010 | Categories: post production | Leave A Comment »
