During my visit to my grandmother’s house in Japan, I took a few photos of areas I missed and some of the scenery that was incredibly different from the ones I see daily in Tampa. This was the first day back home in 10 years, outside my grandmother’s house, and I was excited to see lush mountains. This was taken in a car on my way to visit shopping malls where I had hung out in my younger years. This photo was cropped to exclude the grass/moss on the ground and the large barricade separating the pavement from the river below.
Now the image looks light, happy, and clean, similar to how the mountains make us feel.
Hello! How was Japan, and what brought you over here? I’ve always wanted to go visit; the scenery seems like it would be amazing to walk through and see in person. I love how your cropped photo brings the mountains closer to the viewer. Without the darker foreground, the photo is much more inviting and positive-feeling. Rather than feeling like the barricade is shutting the viewer out, it feels like a place you are free to explore. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hello Dahlia, it’s great to meet you. You certainly improved the photograph! There was too much unwanted information in the foreground. This information distracted the viewer from what is really important, the beautiful mountain in the background. Not only that, but you moved the mountain, which was initially in the middle of the composition, to the bottom third of the composition. This creates a much more dynamic arrangement. I like the blue sky at the top. There is no reason why part of a photograph can’t be “simple”. I feel that a lot of amateur photographers don’t take advantage of “empty” space. The final iteration of the photograph is calm, and peaceful. Great job!