crop help

[carrbowl]

I swore I wouldn't never post a photo again...I'm going to try again. I already took the photo, so I can't place the people in a different spot (like I wish I would have). So is there a way to crop this to get the look I had in my head when I took it....thanks for your POSITIVE help.

[KdLaneJr]

The look you had in your head??? You'd really have to be far more explicit with this statement to get any kind of worthwhile feedback.

[carrbowl]

Well the look in my head was way better than this turned out...this is about as boring as a photo gets...!!!The family is ok, but the background is....just boring...I think there is potentional, but I just don't have it compositioned right.

[KdLaneJr]

If you want them to be the focal point, then I would crop to a standard size, fit that ratio around them and use "skin softening" tools on the background to blur it lightly into dreamland.

They do seem to get lost in the image as family portrait shot. It's nice to have alot of surroundings and background in images that show the family was somewhere special or marks a vacation stop, ie., Disney, Yosemite, Redwoods, Yellowstone...

Hope this gives you a start and doesn't just stump you some more.

[carrbowl]

Ken, do you think that arbor adds or detracts from the photo??

[andyz]

Play with it some. To keep the arbor I'd lower and rotate it a bit. This can allow the family to occupy more space in the shot. Here is an example. You could also crop form either side to focus more on the family. I'd probably remove some of the empty bench on the left to better promote the subjects and maybe go to the post on the right. Burning the hotter spots in the background might be another thought.

[kenw]

(i'm a different ken...)

the arbor adds but it is too far removed from the people to help. At this point, crop it out and concentrate on the people. The background is still fine.

[KdLaneJr]

Renae,

I don't think it helps or hurt insomuch as it is just there. It is preventing you from cropping the family portrait with more detail. That could be a good or a bad thing. I think I'd keep the image cropped like Andy demo'd in post #6 and crop tighter for another version and let the clients choose.

and I apologize for the delayed reply, I left the house earlier and just made it back home.

[janetg]

crop and vignette...

[Craig]

I like Janet's crop and coloring best. The arbor is too big to work for your original thought.

[carrbowl]

That's what I thought after I saw Andy play with it. The way I cropped it to proof to the family was actually like Janet's, only I went portrait. I didn't like the empty bench on the left. I took the photo that way because behind the familly is some nicer greenery so when I took different views it looked better. But when you make "the big picture" It would have been better to move them to the left and take the photo from the right...next time....

thanks for your help.

[andyz]

Live and learn. While I agree the arbor was nice, it was distracting from the real subject.

[vr666m]

Originally Posted by janetg

crop and vignette...

The concrete ground is not parallel to the borders. (Horizon line uneven)
Tree trunk on the right is thick, dark and distracting
Background branches are sticking out of the man's head.
Dead leaves clutter all over the ground.
(There is a difference between beautiful red autumn leaves and dead leaves)
To salvage this shot is to crop all the way to the faces and make it B/W.
Still looks like a snap shot.

[HFMarshburnJR]

For what it is worth, I thought the last critique was a little harsh. The clutter, and background issues were easily fixed with a little cloning in PS. As for the composition, we sometimes get hung up in conventional places for aspect ratios (2x3, 4x5, 5x7 , etc) on the crop. I went with a square format to give you a little different take. It also removes the concern about horizontal lines appearing unlevel in the image (I was always taught to use vertical elements to best gauge whether or not your composition is level, and the poles on the arbor appear pretty level in this photo). The background is largely uninteresting, so I would probably go with what one of the others said and either vignette or blur it out slightly. The family is the focal point in this image - make it be all about them.

This critique was free...and you get what you paid for. Don't stop posting - it is the best and quickest way to learn.

HFM

P.S. I am sure that when working with the full res file you will get it to look the way you want it.