Blowing Bubbles In The Park

[cmk7128]

Took this snapshot of my wife and daughter blowing bubbles in the park. What I am not sure was whether I should crop a little tighter to eliminate the space on the right hand side of the photo.



All suggestions and comments are welcomed.

Thanks and best regards!
William Loo.

[Jin]

Hi William,

Here's something I might do with the photo:

1. Crop out the photo, leaving the red border, drop shadow, and white background behind. You're not going to need them.

2. Add about 100 pixels to the top of the photo and use the Clone Stamp (or whatever it's called in Photoshop, or a the Cloner's Straight Cloner variant in Painter to clone paint grass into the blank area at the top of the photo.

3. Crop the image so it's right side is about 12 pixels from your daughter's hand and the left side is about 24 to 26 pixels from your wife's purse, and include the entire height of the altered photo.

4. Pick a dark blue from the top left side of your daughter's shirt.

5. Add 9 pixels all around the photo and make that border the dark blue you picked from your daughter's shirt.

6. If you want the drop shadow effect, open a new Canvas/document (whatever it's called in your software) the appropriate size for a blank background (you can make it too large, and crop it down later. Then add your photo and the drop shadow and position them attractively over the blank background. Avoid having too little blank background on either side, top, or bottom of the final image as you do in the photo you've displayed which has far too little white at the top and could use a little more at the bottom. Make the drop shadow appropriately soft so it doesn't become yet another distraction.

As it is, the red is out of place with colors in the photo and very distracting. The photo is/should be the center of attention and within that photo, what's going on with your daughter, wife, and the bubbles is the real center of attention. A red border should not be the center of attention, right?

Other treatments might be to vignette your wife and daughter and make the surrounding areas either solid color or blurred and slightly faded.

Try to avoid formula treatments for your photos as what works for one will very likely not work for another.

Last but not least, your wife is lovely and your daughter very cute. It's a great moment between them and aren't you fortunate to be a photographer who can catch these moments!

Jinny
P.S. Just ignore my suggestions if you don't like 'em. They're intended to be helpful but I understand you may have another vision. It's your photo, after all.

[cmk7128]

Hi Jinny,

Thanks for the very constructive suggestions and kind comments. As I mentioned in my original thread, I do feel this photo needed some work done to it.

I always believe learning to make better photos are a big part of the fun of photography (especially digital).

Best Regards!
William Loo.

[Bytephoto]

Hi William,

I would do some cropping to emphasise blowing bubbles, and to remove the unwanted grass area to the right.

Hope you don't mind but here's the crop I did. Remember it's only my opinion !!

[cmk7128]

Hi RVB Pix,

Not at all. Thanks for the suggestions and the I like what you did with the crop

Best Regards!
William Loo.

[cmk7128]

What about this crop below (I added in the top background to make it look like a portraiture).




Thanks and best regards!
William Loo.

[Bytephoto]

Here's a copy of what I wrote in your gallery.

I like the way you've done this one. The visual link between the lettring on the T-shirt and the background works well here. The frame is great too because you have chosen the colors from what are included in the photo. Just one thing, I can see the join just above your wifes' head.

[cmk7128]

You got me there. Glad you like it though.

Thanks and best regards!
William Loo.

[yappiez]

i'm no pro but it looks a little too sharp to me...

[me_wrestler]

Everyone else already took care of the photoshop side of things. Al I can say is that a fill flash might have brightened the colors and taken care of the little shadows (they are small). Overall, it's a nice pic.