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The image above is the recent result of deciding I didn't like the original colour image - it was well put together but left me cold. At the last minute I decided, what the heck, what if I converted to black and white, and what if I trimmed the excess light areas left and right, even though it meant clipping the end of the ladder.
In the colour version, I'm not happy with the end of the ladder - it seems to me it should have been spaced equally or at least proportionately in the corner whereas it touches the bottom of the image but not the side - small detail? sure, but petty, no I don't think so - it's a whole bunch of these little decisions that make a big difference to an image.
12 comments:
Why did you crop so much on the left side? It looks better (to me)if you let the end of the ladder and a foot or so of the wall visible. It seems also that the contrast on the wall, and particularly on the window reflections, is too harsh. What do you think?
Actually I really like to original, uncropped and in color. I like the very desaturated feel, with the red grate popping out.
I like the cropped version. The vertical ladder extends out of the frame anyway, so it makes sense to have the horizontal one do that as well. But I prefer the color in the original. The red grate and the blue window in the color version grab my eyes, but there is no such point of interest in the B&W version. So my eyes are running helter-skelter around all the lines in it, interesting lines though they are. I find the color one more peaceful; that's not to say static. But more meaningful anyway.
I also like António's first suggestion. I'd be intrigued to see how it looked cropped that way and with the color still in.
I like both but the B&W more so because the more abstract nature of B&W accentuates the increased "abstractness" gained by the crop. "Just where do those ladders run?"-type questions arise which adds the mystery aspect, which was one of the factors you and others have pointed out is essential to a great image. Personally I want to crop even more off the RHS to remove some relatively uninteresting tank(?) wall and improve the overall "balance" of the image. Might make it a bit tall and thin though. PS Love the blog.
George, what in the scene captured your attention and wanted to be reproduced photographically. Answering this question may help with the cropping issue. (I prefer the color version.)
P.S. Am I the only contributor who must subscribe anew with every comment? The blog service never remembers me.
My first impression is that this is a two steps forward, one step back situation. I agree that the right side of the image was throwing the image off balance. The white space was almost overpowering.
Black and white simplifies things further, but I find myself missing the color; the color seems to add atmosphere and texture that enrich the image. It's a close call for me. Ask me again in the morning, and I might prefer the geometry of the black and white version.
You might also want to try living with the image without the crop on the left. It's just a hunch, but that negative space, especially given its subtle color, seems to let the image breathe. To me, the image is primarily about evoking a feeling, an atmosphere, a sense of place. And the negative space, in addition to the literalness of the blunt end of the ladder, may help in that.
But then those are only first impressions. Like you've said, this is an iterative process.
George, I like both. They both have their strong points.
I think it raises a interesting topic, that you allude to quite often. Which is, during post-processing should I make choice A or choice B. We face these decisions many times per image. Usually the decision is easy, but often it is not.
I often see posts on forums where people ask others to choose for them, and perhaps your OP was a roundabout way of doing the same (it could be construed as such based on the comments received). In doing this I think we compromise our individuality as a photographer.
As an ideal we should either go with our gut or make decisions that strengthen the concept we are trying to convey. Reality seldom follows ideals though, and I think the desire to make images that are universally appealing usually wins.
BTW, I like the B/W version, but I think the reds and blues in the other work well together. Such is compromise.
I agree that the cropped version works better but I'd like to see it in colour. The colours are what I found attractive in the first place. The b&w might just be a news photo -- where the body of the janitor was found sort of thing.
Being mainly a b&w photographer, I would naturally say that I like the b&w version better, but I actually like the color one.
I tried cropping out the red grate and a little off the left side, just into the ladder. This horizontal orientation works for me... both in b&w and color.
BTW, love your blog.
Andrew wrote "P.S. Am I the only contributor who must subscribe anew with every comment? The blog service never remembers me."
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Fascinating - even with the same image - no two photographers like it the same way - cropped, uncropped, colour, black and white, subtle, contrasty. Unlike our local provincial government which loves to 'float trial balloons', no matter how absurd - just in case the public buys in, I offered it as a line of thought rather than a solicitation for advice. That said your reactions to the image are much appreciated and tell all of us a lot about photography and how we see and what we make of photographs - body of the janitor indeed!
Thanks all.
George
Rosie, thanks for the advice. I am hoping you refer back here. How do I "enable cookies?"
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