The original photo, on the left, was taken at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA, in 2019. My husband and I had taken our friend Samantha, pictured, there for her birthday. Outside the museum are large rock formations, as the area lies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. These are often used for photo spots, and we took many pictures there that day. I chose this one because I wanted to edit the image to look as though she had climbed a mountain or a large hill. The original picture was fine, with Samantha in the top third of the frame, but the parking lot in the background distracted from the focus of the image. By cropping out the parking lot and light poles, the image is once again refocused on her and the beautiful spring day. In addition, this allows the trees and the sky to frame Samantha while using the rule of thirds — placing her and the tree on the right in one-third of the image, creating the illusion that she was at the top of a climb.
Hi Kristi, Oh gosh this is such a cute idea for a photo “climb”, I love it. Your placement of the subject in the final crop definitely follows the rule of thirds and makes it look like she could be at the top of a mountain! I love the branches framing her (although I guess that’s one of the giveaways that she’s not actually on top of a mountain haha), they add such a nice color, contrasting with the blue sky and clouds. The only thing I might suggest is leaving a bit more space under her feet. Her one sneaker is just touching the edge of the photo and it’s a tad bit tight! And then I don’t know if the software you’re using allows you to add front-lighting to the subject but she’s a little dark due to the bright background. Not a huge deal, just leaves me wanting to see her face better (and the dark sweatshirt also bears some responsibility). 🙂 Great photo!!
Hey Kristi! The first thing I noticed in the cropped version was how much brighter the photo feels once the shadows and dark rock are removed from the focus. The crop follows the rule of thirds really nicely, with your friend positioned on the left and the tree on the right. The greenery frames the photo beautifully from the left, bottom, and right, and I also love how the sky and clouds intersect along another golden ratio line. Removing the parking lot was the best choice of all, though. Without that background noise, the viewer can truly be immersed in the nature of it all. Lovely work!
Hello Kristi, you did a wonderful job with the cropping—I really like how intentional and clean the final image feels. The way you framed it makes it look as if your friend Samantha is almost suspended in the air, which adds a fun sense of motion and energy to the photo.
By removing the distracting elements in the background, like the vehicles and the large patch of soil in front of the rock, you brought the focus exactly where it belongs. The blue‑and‑white sky paired with the touches of green on both sides creates a natural, refreshing backdrop that enhances the overall composition. It feels much more balanced and visually engaging after your edits.
Hey Kristi, love this photo. The transformation between the two images is really profound. By cropping out the ground level, it leaves a mystery about what’s under the photo. How far up is she? Is she in a dangerous position? The tree branches frame Samantha nicely. The empty space above her head, to me, encourages the viewer to scan the image from the rock going up off the photo, further enhancing the illusion of height.