Schulz, Jacob Photo of Venus De Milo 2024 CC BY 4.0
Scrolling through my own camera roll I found an image that I thought could be improved using some simple cropping techniques. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Paris last spring and while there I was able to visit the Louvre Museum. While I was there the museum had a considerably large crowd which featured tourists from all over the world. The two most popular attractions of the Louvre were the Mona Lisa, and Venus de Milo. The latter was my favorite of the two but I struggled to get a good photo of where the room the Venus de Milo is kept in appeared empty. I along with many other visitors longed to have a moment alone in a room with a priceless piece of ancient art and so I cropped the image to change the experience of the viewer for the better.
Schulz, Jacob Cropped Photo of Venus De Milo 2024 CC BY 4.0
Following the rule of thirds the cropped image resets focus directly towards the Venus de Milo and away from the hustle and bustle of busy tourists venturing through the museum. Although I believe the Venus de Milo is the main focal point of both images, removing the bottom third of the image removes distracting elements such as the barricade below the statue and the distracting line of people walking by as well. As well the cropping also changes the coloring to feature a much warmer theme where there is now mainly pink marble and yellow light as the background to the white statue. Before cold colors such as on one girls blue sweater also could have distracted the viewer and contrasted sharply with the pink marble meant to be the background color for the statue.
Hi Jacob! You’re right about the cool colors detracting from the beauty of Venus De Milo and her home of pink marble. Something that I found unexpected in your cropped photo is that now the other carving in the background has my attention which is a fun surprise. Of course Venus has my attention but now her eyes and the yellow light bring in her background company which I think tells a nice story. Did you have a favorite find at the Louvre?
Hi Jacob!
Being able to capture a photo of Venus De Milo in a well known tourist attraction is no easy feat. The intentional cropping of the lower half of the photo transforms the photo from feeling like a public moment to a private one. It also adds a note of elegance and warmth–something you stated you were aiming for in your post. Because her face is facing towards the right hand side, I wonder if changing the focus from dead center to center-left would elongate the frame and provide more “artistic” direction. As if Venus is looking into the distance and viewers are following her train of thought. I’m also curious if playing with the warm undertones/color vibrance could add additional contrast and/or depth.