Spring 2024

I’ve always had pets. I honestly can’t remember a single moment of my life when there were not furry, four-legged children running around my home. Since I’ve moved into apartments and other rentals, though, I’ve only had cats — and it has been a parade of unique individuals ever since.

Of the three I have right now, it’s definitely the baby, Copperfield, who takes the cake the most unique. He’s named for the magician David Copperfield for his tendency to completely disappear, but it’s one of his other penchants that’s the subject of today’s image:

This is a photo I took of Copperfield while I was preparing to cook dinner late one evening (as you can see by the clock on the stove). Copperfield fancies himself a bit of a sous chef — and I’m not one to disabuse him of that notion, so he gets to sit on the side cabinet while I explain him everything that goes into the pot and each step that I’m taking next. As long as I don’t use any burner but the one the pot is currently on in the picture, it is a perfect working relationship.

Even in this photograph, though, he’s still a bit of a blur, though, because he’s never fully still.

I had about eight photographs that I was trying to choose from before I selected this one. From its original form:

I had about eight photographs that I was trying to choose from before I selected this one. From its original form, I tightened the image, trimming it down to focus just on Copperfield and his laser tight attention on the stove. I also paid attention to the Rule of Thirds, bringing one point up to his eye. Likewise, I also gave him plenty of room to move across the screen.

Granted, if this were the real kitten, he would be more apt to run the other direction, but the way he’s focused, you would never know it!

Being part of a family that enjoys scuba diving had my mother feeling left out lately. So, here she was in Cozumel last year, completing her graduation dive after successfully finishing her classes! The image was taken during a group dive, including experienced and new divers. The photo above is cropped in to highlight just my mom (and her incredible accomplishment)! She is off-center, and the backdrop is a vast open ocean to help accentuate the expanse of water and provide a sense of “depth.”

Okay, so it’s not exactly a solo dive. But that showcases the value of a good crop. Above is the original image I took where you can see the other divers. In an ideal scenario, I would have taken a picture with more open space in my mom’s swimming direction and cropped her into the top-left corner, allowing her room to move within the picture. In this image, however, trying that still would have included some of the other divers.

I grew up in central Florida watching space shuttle launches up until the final launch in 2011. It was always fun to watch the launch start on TV, and then run outside to catch the shuttle flying up and out of the atmosphere. We’d make a game out of who would be the first to spot the shuttle rising over the rooftops. This photo depicts the Atlantis shuttle making the final launch of the program on July 8, 2011.

I chose to crop the image to focus on the shuttle and the clouds coming out of the bottom. The light reflecting on the water is nice, but that’s not what I wanted to focus on. In the original image, the shuttle is centered, but I used the rule of thirds to make it a more dynamic image. Cropping out the water tower, the launch base, the water, and the surrounding foliage places the focus solely on the ascending shuttle. There’s no other elements distracting from the main action. While the scale of the smoke/vapor clouds in the original image are dramatic, I think I was still able to capture that drama in my cropped image.

I took the photo “Docked the Port” while traveling, it captures a busy port in Saint Lucia. In the photo you are able to see roofs of some of the locals’ houses, plants, cruise ships, mountains and shipping containers. It’s hard to tell what the main subject(s) of the photo are because of the various details shown. By cropping the photo I am able to create a new composition.

Cropping out the unnecessary details allows for the single cruise ship to be the focal point of the photo. The story of the image is changed, as the ship comes to forefront and is then accompanied by a relaxing background. The photo goes from very busy and chaotic to serene. By off centering the ship it leaves room for movement and it appears almost as if the ship is about to leave the island and head off to sea.

The picture on the left provides a glimpse of a sweet back tattoo canvassed on one of my human subject research guests from the UK. The tattoo is already at a focal point within the photo, but with some unnecessary clutter. I went ahead and cropped myself out of there. No need for me. I cleared out the background of unrecognizable lab equipment and changed the contrast a little. There were plans to adjust the coloring but, I’ll need a little more experimentation.

Let’s take a closer look at our edited photo located on the right. Within the tattoo, we have three iconic figures, or what some may call the holy trinity, performing an arm wrestling match above the knight. The armored figure isn’t so much the focus here, but rather the heavy weights above him. Upon further examination, you can see two arms thrusting through the earth’s crust, causing volcanic eruptions and plumes of smoke from the kaos.