A few years ago, my brother and I planned a trip with a bunch of our college friends to visit Cedar Point, an amusement park in northern Ohio. The funny thing about that trip was, as soon as he heard about it, our dad decided he also wanted to tag along. Even though he was far above the age of your average thrill seeker at 59, he didn’t let that deter him from riding every single roller coaster in that park. Where I would be ready to tap out after three or four rides, sick to my stomach from the effects of the increased G’s on my body, my dad was raring to go throughout the whole day. He didn’t mind standing in line in the heat to wait for the more popular coasters, either. I think he enjoyed himself more than any of us twenty-somethings on the trip did.
The photo I chose reminds me of my dad on that trip. Even though the women in the picture aren’t in the typical age range you expect to see on a roller coaster, it’s clear they are thoroughly enjoying themselves. And why shouldn’t they be? I wanted to focus in on their enjoyment by cropping the photo so we can see their faces better. Doing so puts the rush of adrenaline they are feeling on display, showcasing the joy and fear on their faces. You can see how their hands are clutched together, how tightly they are hanging on. The curved slope they are traversing feels steeper, the wind feels stronger, the air feels thinner as they reach new heights with only a backdrop of clouds behind them.
Hi Lauren! I absolutely love the story you shared! For someone who dares not go on roller coasters, I really admire your father’s courage! Through your cropped image, characters whose expressions were previously overlooked suddenly became vivid, allowing me to clearly see their expressions of terror mixed with surprise – how joyful they were! You even managed to capture their hand movements! Also, the composition was excellent, positioning the subjects along the rule of thirds, which gave a sense of movement to the right. Regarding another way of cropping, I think it might try changing the shot to a medium shot, bringing it even closer to capturing the visual impact of their fright. I imagine this would make for a very interesting photo!
Lauren this story and composition speaks to me as somewhat of a thrill seeker myself! I found myself smiling reading about your father and his thrill-seeking tendencies at his age, it’s very admirable. I love the focus that this composition has on the faces of the women on this rollercoaster, we can see a variety of emotions displayed across their faces, that we, as the audience might have glossed over on first glance. I think two cropping ideas might be focusing on these individuals and giving each their own crop. It completely changes the image for the viewer.
Hey Lauren! This is such a fun image and love the story that you shared! Your dad sounds so cool and love that he’s an adrenaline junkie at almost 60. Before you cropped the image we can barley see the expressions on the women’s faces, but the wind in the hair is so comical. However, after you cropped it, we have a better view of their expressions and can tell who may be a little more scared than the other. You can even crop it to where we see a little bit more of the red part of the roller coaster and the blue sky underneath. I think it would give the viewer a sense of not knowing where that roller coaster is going… if that kinda makes sense! Great job!