Emotive Troubador

[Jagan]

http://www.pbase.com/image/1259311

I shot this at an open-mic night at a local pub with bounced flash. I tried my best to be non-intrusive and got this shot, which I like, BUT I feel something is lacking still.

Any ideas?

-JNS

[Don Ellis]

I like the shot. As for improving it, perhaps it's not lacking something so much as having too much of some things.

I can only tell you how I would crop it. Although I believe in creative cropping -- meaning cropping that doesn't necessarily match a set aspect ratio -- if I can maintain a 4:3 or 3:4 or 1:1, I tend to do that. The 1:1 especially gives you an attractive medium-format look.

For me, there's too much going on in the right side of the picture. Rather than looking at the singer, I'm trying to figure out what the gizmo is -- a giant jukebox, a death ray? Because I've never seen it before, I'm drawn even more into puzzling it out -- just the opposite of what you want me to be doing.

For the convenience of others, this is the original photo with a 1:1 green crop line. When you crop it this way, you remove most of the machinery to the right, the distracting bits around the waistline, and the black hole on the left.

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/singer-cropline.jpg

This is the cropped photo below.

The newly black baseline no longer draws your attention downwards. The reduced red halos are now floating and intriguing and draw your attention upwards. And the pale vertical strip on the left now complements the guitar strap (somewhat) in shading and width.

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/singer11.jpg

This is the trial at a 3:4 ratio, which is terrible. It's too vertical and confined and doesn't have the horizontal room you need for elbows and expansive spirit.

http://www.kleptography.com/dl/singer43.jpg

Just one opinion... again, I like the shot. Well done.

Don

[Jagan]

Yes!

That's what it needs. I had already cropped it, but I guess I just need to be more scissor-happy!

Thanks, Don.

-Jagan

[Don Ellis]

jagan wrote:
Yes!
That's what it needs. I had already cropped it, but I guess I just need to be more scissor-happy!
Thanks, Don.
-Jagan
You're welcome... it's always easier to chop away at someone else's creation.

Don