compositions

In March of 2019, my sister and I had the opportunity to travel with our church to Washington, DC. During our visit, we toured the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, a 30-foot-high statue that honors the life and legacy of Dr. King.  Dr. King fought for freedom, equality, and justice.

The before photo below is a picture of that cold day in Washington while sightseeing at the MLK memorial. The resolution of the photo is not the best, but I wanted to use this photo because of the impact it had on me that day. History came alive to me on that day. That day I thought about the struggles my grandparents faced while growing up in the 1960’s and how Dr. King and other civil rights leaders gave them hope for a better world.  That day also taught me to Keep my eyes on the prize which is to dream of a world where freedom and equality will be granted to all.

Before Photo

MLK Memorial Trip by Ken Austin is licensed under © “All Rights Reserved 2019”

The focal point of the photo is the MLK memorial; however, you have a lady on the left walking and other distractions in the background. This photo could use better composition.

After Photo

I used PhotoPea to crop the photo. Although I really hate the resolution, the cropped photo now has the focal point on the MLK Memorial which towers over my sister and I as we reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. King. The cropped photo is better composition and creates a more powerful photo.

While attending Star Wars weekend, my daughter decides she shall give a kiss.

Let’s see that again a little closer…

Oh that kiss!  R2D2’s head begins to spin around and around.  C3PO looks down at his little friend and says, “R2, I believe you have a girlfriend.”  Just one kiss, started my Berriprincess’s love affair with the most adorable droid out there.  And her love didn’t fade even though her path didn’t cross with R2 again for several years.  But she drew pictures and decorated her room with her love.  She wore R2 decorated t-shirts and dresses to show her affection.  She even carried around a R2D2 purse.  Of all the droids in the galaxy, she remained devoted to her beloved even while they were worlds apart.  

Then one day,  a few years later in the early spring, Berriprincess and her brother visited a spaceport called, “Hollywood Studios” where they learned of the Millennium Falcon’s arrival.  Dare she hope that her lost love was onboard?  Wading through the crowd, they managed to find Luke and Leia, and yes, R2D2 was still with them! Berriprincess’s brother greeted these old friends and began asking Luke how he might train to be a Jedi.  While the boys were engaged, Leia tried to make polite communication with our Berriprincess.  

Although the marketplace was thick with conversations around them, the world fell silent, melting away for a brief moment, as her hand reached out to find him. Nothing else in the world mattered.  They were together again!

by Tiffany Walters (@thelaststoryguard)

Technical Notes:  I cropped two photos to tell the story of my daughter’s love for R2D2.  It was important to remove the others from the images to center the story around the characters. In the first photo, I use the cropping tool to focus the reader on the kiss that started it all.   By cropping the second image, I was able to focus the reader’s attention on the little detail of her hand placed on R2D2 using the rule of thirds. I also used the blur and brush elements in Photoshop to remove small traces of Leia’s robe that was not easily cropped from the bottom right size of the photo.