Let me start this story by saying that decorating for the holidays can be a time-consuming and tiring task, albeit a fun and happy time of year. So over the holiday break, I was beginning the process of taking down decorations from the attic and starting to put them out when I came across our jumbo-sized candy canes (we use them along our sidewalk). The weather was beautiful, which helped with the holiday spirit (difficult to obtain in Florida); and, while unloading the decorations, I was also playing with my dog, Duncan. When I came to the candy canes, I handed one to Duncan and told him to help me. To which he responded by taking and running off with it. I love that this picture portrays how he is so proud of himself, even though you can’t see his face. Good boy, Duncan, for being such a good helper during the holiday season.
Before:
After:
While the original picture is cute, Duncan is centered in the frame and there are a lot of distractions from the house and plants, which overall takes away from the picture. Cropping the picture helps focus on the main subject, Duncan, and his joy of helping carry a jumbo candy cane around the yard. It also changes the perspective in that it looks as if he is running off to complete his task with the candy cane.
Savanah, for starters, Duncan looks very similar to my dog, which makes his actions even more relatable. I agree that the second image allows for the viewer to be more focused on the subject of Duncan. Instead of the first image that makes it look like Duncan is being mischievous and running away with the candy cane, the second image alters the meaning and allows the viewer to pick up on his proud, hard-working prance through the grass. I think cropping out the house and plants was a lead contributor in altering the message in the photo. Without knowing if the house pictured is your house or a neighbor’s house, there is ambiguity on whether the dog is following directions. The house and plants distracted from the ultimate goal of the photo. Overall, I don’t have suggestions on additional ways to improve the image because other cropping methods would most likely stray away from the rule of thirds and/or make a less ideal focal point on Duncan.