The Opening Credits (Before) …..
The Closing Credits ( After)…..
In 2019, the genius Jordan Peele gave us the masterpiece titled Us. For those who haven’t watched it, it is about a family coming into contact with their doppelgangers and being hunted by them. If you haven’t watched this movie, I highly recommend it; my short synopsis is not doing it justice.
So imagine my surprise when I saw this picture, which pulled me back to when I first experienced the film. This picture shows a happy barber probably enjoying his clients’ company before his next appointment. But when I looked in the mirror, it seemed like the same person was reaching out to engage someone in conversation with a handshake. It looks like two separate people in their own worlds because of the camera angle, but it is just this one person present. In order to bring what I saw to life, using the rule of thirds, I used a simple crop to focus more on the reflection in the mirror. Now the story in the image has changed from a barber having fun with his old clients and switching to the same barber meeting someone for the first time and building new relationships with these clients.
I would like to hear from you about your thoughts! Share in the comments what ideas come to mind when looking at the image. Would you crop it a different way to tell another story? If so, share! 🙂
Hi Latasha! What a neat idea!!
First of all, the original picture is just really cool. It’s got a warm feeling, like I know the subject well. My initial thought is that the subject isn’t centered, so it’s already a pretty nice composition. If I had to crop something, I might’ve just gotten rid of the reflection part. But what a shame that would’ve been!
It is so cool that your brain immediately saw a story there. The reflection really does look like it’s got an entirely different goal in it’s movements. What if the reflection could show the past? Maybe it’s the barber in his beginning days, excitedly greeting his first clients. I just love the way you added such fun concepts with your crop!
Also, I’ve been meaning to see Us for a long time, and this is making me want to watch it tonight!
You are spot on that the way in which you cropped your photo alters the visual story. The original photo clearly centers on the welcoming face of the barber, but we also get a glimpse of his style with the logo sweatshirt, hat, and tattoos. With the crop, my eye is actually more drawn into the elements on the mirror stand, the tools of the barber rather than the barber. For my viewing, I see the barber as an afterthought to the star of the show, the tools of the trade. This was an excellent example of how a simple crop can alter a picture and the story it conveys to the viewer. Another interesting take on cropping this photo would have been removing the barber completely and doing a tight crop on the tools and a bit of the bottom of the mirror.