Late Night Sabbath Dinner, by Calvin Whalen, licensed under CC-BY 4.0
I had to capture a photograph of my roommate losing it at a game of Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe two of our guests were playing. If you’re familiar with Tic-Tac-Toe at all, you may notice that the X’s player—Carson on the left—is losing considerably. If you’re familiar with Ultimate Tic-Tac-Toe, you should know that under two of those O’s—played by Jorvyn to the right—there was absolutely no contest, which is why Marsh in the back is laughing on the floor. Of course, cropping him out or making him a subject changes the tone of the image.
(left) Hard at Play, by Calvin Whalen, licensed under CC-BY 4.0. (right) Does He Know What He’s Doing?, by Calvin Whalen, licensed under CC-BY 4.0
I have never heard of ultimate tic-tac-toe! That sounds like such a blast. I also really like how you provided both cropped images to accentuate how the meaning of the photo can change by switching the focus from the friends who are playing to the laughing friend in the background. By primarily focusing on the friends playing, it seems to be just a friendly game. Once the focus is shifted to include the background, one gets a sense of competition, or loss, or rivalry. I think it’s really cool that this exercise helps us understand how focus can affect our perspective, which can be utilized quite a bit in this life. Another way this could have been cropped is by drawing attention to the table, as a realistic view of game night. I like the idea of a crowded table with the notion of being present and playing games can bring to the viewer. But awesome job! I love how easy it is to see the quick change of perspective by providing both cropped images!
Hi Ella,
What a great shot of active frustration! I think the image is cropped very well and I appreciated how you included two different versions to highlight how the story can change depending on the focus of the frame. I don’t have many suggestions regarding alternative cropping options. Great job overall!