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Another crop from Thomas and Perry shows how different an image can be made through thoughtful cropping. I am not suggesting that photographers should not attempt to frame the final image in camera; I’m only showing that one needs to be open to the possibilities that thoughtful cropping offers.
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Last month I read an interesting book, The Photographer’s Eye by Michael Freeman , which is a fantastic book on the subject of composition. In one chapter Freeman discusses the many possibilities that often lie within a single frame. He points out how by selectively cropping the image the photograph can be used to tell several different stories.
I decided to take the image I posted this morning, Perry and Thomas, and see what other ways I could use it. By cropping the figures from the left side of the frame I was able to create an entirely different image that speaks to texture, color and composition without any visible human involvement.
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While installing the handrails on the Big Four Bridge, Perry and Thomas had to cut some of the large rivets away to make room for the handrail base. The pneumatic chisel they are using is a handful and the job goes better when they work as a team.
I wanted to capture the movement as they cut the rivets so I used a slow shutter to allow their figures and the tool to blur while retaining the texture on the steel. I wasn’t sure how the images would turn out but once I loaded them into Aperture 3 I saw that I had captured the essence of the workers and the impact that the chisel makes as it hammers away at the stell.
I started by processing the image with Aperture 3 where I did some initial RAW adjusting and sharpening. I then took it into NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I applied a realistic preset and some tone mapping. After that it was back into Aperture 3 for final sharpening and some saturation and vibrancy adjustments.
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I thought it would be appropriate to begin 2013 with an image of dawn. I see the new year as one of opportunity and possibility, peace and contentment, exploration and discovery and most of all excitement. None of us know what the future has in store but as long as we face it head on we can weather any storm and gain new skills and knowledge.
To all of you who read this blog I hope to give you my very best at sharing my vision of our world as it appears through my lens. I will share my attempts at being a better photographer and artist. I hope to learn more and share more about photography, HDR photography in particular, and the steps I take in crafting my images.
Whether you are new here or you have been following me since I began this blog last May I hope you will visit on a regular basis and that you will engage in commenting on the work I share. I think that critiques are the path to greater understanding and growth in the arts and the comments of all are welcomed.
May this year be the best of our lives and lead us forward into learning ever more about our passion for photography and art.
Happy New Year to you all!
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Best Wishes to you all. May this day be everything you hoped for. For me the day will be spent with our family, watching the joy in the children’s eyes, enjoying their company and feasting on my mother-in-law’s wonderful Italian cooking, spaghetti and meatballs.
This image is from a couple of years ago and was taken with my Nikon D50. The D50 didn’t do very well at high ISO and consequently there is some noise in the photo but I liked the composition and the colors. I was using Topaz Adjust a lot back then and processed it with Topaz Adjust and OnONe PhotoTune before finishing it in Aperture 3.
Peace To All…. Nick
