AFTER |
BEFORE |
How much to crop or optimize an image after it has been shot
is a very personal decision. Looking at all possibilities when you are out
photographing is the best approach. Try close-ups, try more distant views, shoot
some from a high angle and others from a low angle. Stalk your subject by
walking all around it if possible to discover a variety of views that might
work, and then try them all.
While I generally try to shoot using these concepts, once I
get home and view images on my large monitor I still see things I missed. Why I
did not see them when I was shooting is a question with no good answer.
Sometimes you just see things differently when looking at it on a flat screen
rather than in the flesh.
Today’s image is a prime example. I love the dwarf crested
iris flowers that bloom all too briefly in the spring in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. I must have taken hundreds of different images of them
while I was there. But I did not see the After image while I was shooting. It
was only after viewing all images on my monitor after I returned home that I
saw the heart of this image. The Before image above was all encompassing, and
showed the entire flower with its companion flower to the right. The green
leaves are nice, the ground nicely blurred out, but still it is not a very
exciting or compelling image. The After version is cropped extensively, and
optimized to darken the background and enhance the tones of the flower.
While I find the Before image acceptable, I love the After version.
It has a lovely flow from lower left to upper right. It showcases the beautiful
dimensional bright center of the main petal. It shows the beauty and elegance
of the bloom even though much of the entire flower has been cropped away.
Of course you want to get the best photographs you can while
shooting, but never hesitate to rethink the image after you get home. If you
think of a photograph as an art piece, then is it OK to make significant
changes to the crop after you have viewed the image and determined what the
heart of the image actually is?
I’m interested in your feedback. Take this opportunity to
weigh in on this question. Do you feel that the After image is cheating, that
it is too great a departure from the image as shot? Or do you feel that using
artistic license to completely re-crop the image after the fact is acceptable?
Send your responses to awakethelight@charter.net
with “Cheating or Art” in the subject line. A report on the votes will appear
in a future blog.
TECHNICAL DATA
Shutter Speed 1/250 sec. Aperture f/5.
ISO 400. Lens: Canon 100mm
macro f/2.8L IS. Camera: Canon 5D
Mark III. Handheld.
TODAY’S QUOTE: “Artistic license often provokes controversy
by offending those who resent the reinterpretation of cherished beliefs or
previous works.” --Dictionary.com
How can anything THAT beautiful be Cheat!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great comment!
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