Wow, Adrian! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! What you said makes so much sense. I see what you are saying too, about the crop. The version you provided does not say what I wanted it to say. I guess, as a beginner, I sometimes feel that that I NEED to take others suggestions.... but I guess sometimes it isn't always neccessary! Thank you again. Your advice is well taken and much appreciated.
Melanie, another fine shot, that goes way beyond being a nice pic of you own children, but is conveying lots of different things (childhood, simple pleasures, the beauty of the sea etc etc). You don't have to know the who or where to enjoy it. As you're probably discovering, when you put your photos up for comment, there's lots of received wisdom about what makes a good photo, 'rules' about composition etc, most of which are quite sensible. However, sometimes breaking the rules has more impact! The important thing is to have your own vision, and not change things just because it is suggested it might be better if ... (though it is sensible to consider the suggestion.). Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise (wo)men! You have to ask yourself, what is this photograph about? What are you trying to communicate? Then present the image accordingly. Sometimes people criticise pics because they simply don't understand them (though, if you've failed to communicate your meaning, it's worth asking why.) Often, an altered picture is not 'better', just a different picture. Possibly the point of this picture is to convey a child at the centre of things; if so, don't crop! However, if you're going to crop, here's some other 'rules' to consider: 01. It is normally considered best to have people looking into the picture, rather than out of it (to do the latter, makes a definite statement about eg alienation). (Think about your profile pic - very impressive! - and how it might feel if reversed, looking right). Your crop also suggests what is past is more important, one cropped the other way might suggest looking to the future. , 02. Exclude any element that is not essential to the meaning of the picture. I've taken the liberty of incorporating both these thought into a major crop of your pic. What do you think? It's a different picture. Does it say what you wanted to?
The only critique I have is the girl being in the dead center of the photo. I think it would be a better photo if you cropped it a bit following the rule of thirds.
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{K:41212} 11/23/2004
