This is an image that I took while I was in Iceland touring the glacial caves on Christmas week. I am further inside the cave, while my tour guide was standing in the distance on top of the hill outside of the entrance. The subject is centered and the silhouette of his figure strikes a contrast with the sky behind him. In this image, there is a lot to take in. From the rocky foreground, the view extends to the ice cavern, then to the figure, and finally to the mountainous background within the pink cloudy sky.
By cropping into the image, we have changed the story that it depicts. The landscape is altered. We are no longer inside of a cave and the figure is no longer centered but placed along the line of the rule of thirds where his placement gives space and movement to where his gaze follows the horizon. This revision allows the focus to be placed more on the individual in a strange new environment rather than circling around all the details that the original image contained.
Hello Bremen,
It is crazy to see how much your crop changes the entire look of the photo. The unedited photo is dark and foreboding, appearing as if night is falling. In the second, it is harder to tell the time of day. It could either be coming to a close or the sun could be rising. I found the title of your edited photo interesting. I often think of ‘solitude’ as being a word that contains a negative connotation , but I feel that your photo could go either way depending on the viewer.
I really love the look of these photos! I have always wanted to visit Iceland, and your pictures are making me want to go even more. I hope you continue to upload your photos in the coming posts. I would enjoy to see what photographs you have taken during your journeys.
Thank you for sharing!
Bremen, your photo is simply beautiful. The original picture does seem to overwhelm you. The cave has so many details and your focus is on taking in all of its characteristics. I love the color in the photo as well. It makes the scene surreal. The cropped picture allows the focus to be the gentleman enjoying the beautiful surroundings. You don’t have the large cave-like photo. You can enjoy what he’s seeing as well. I agree that the aspect of the cropping you chose is sufficient. It clearly identifies your goal.
Hey Bremen!
This is a cool photo you found. I think you did a good job at shifting what the focal point is I think in the first version of it the man was somewhat the focus but it was the rocks doing the cropping so you did still focus on the cave more and it made the photo feel smaller. In your cropping, I think you did a great job at following the rule of thirds and making the photo eye-catching. My one critique would be to take into consideration the resolution of the photo since your cropped version does seem a bit blurry.
I’m hard pressed, Bremen, to find anything negative to say about either photo you’ve taken. They’re both breathtaking. (Why didn’t you take me with you? I could have packed up small and gone in your suitcase? You wouldn’t have even had to bring me back.) Absolutely everything about this is stunning: you’ve cleared up some of the clutter and really brought your subject into the foreground, making it clear that you should focus on the man instead of the rocks around him. You’ve transformed the focus, from the dark maw of the cave’s exit to the stunning light of Iceland’s horizon, while still paying attention composition and the rule of thirds. What else can I say? Brilliant!