Abe and Omar (thoughts about composition)

Abe and Omar 09/23/2011

Last weekend, Becky’s brother Steven came to visit for the afternoon and he brought two of his grandchildren, Abe and Cara, and their two dogs, Bozo and Omar. Their visit provided me the opportunity to take a few pictures that I could share with their parents and the rest of the family.

While working on the images I began to think about composition.

I’ve written before, my subconscious plays an important part in my image making. So, when I find myself struggling to find the composition that works for me I ask myself, “What makes me want to take this picture?” It is an open-ended question that allows me to communicate with my intellectual and intuitive selves. I ask this question both when taking a picture and later when processing.

On the intellectual side, I have a specific agenda, with Abe and Cara it was to take candid portraits. Because the kids are constantly moving, I decided to use an exposure of 800 and not crop too closely. This allows for unexpected movement. I knew that I would tighten up the composition later during digital processing.

On the intuitive side, I look for the element or elements that attracted me to the picture. Is it the inherent drama (actions, expressions, weather), particular colors-shapes-textures, or the such. During the processing phase I go to my intuitive side much more and then rely on the intellectual side to figure out how manifest what I see in my mind’s eye.

In Abe and Omar tightened the focus to include the interior of the pickup and used the pickup’s elements to frame Abe and Omar. I could have tightened it more by cropping out some of the action in the background. I didn’t because I felt that provided more context. Because the eye is attracted to lighter areas that are easier to read, I darkened the elements that framed Abe and Omar: back of the front seats, the floor in the back seat, the open door panel and door frame. I wanted Abe’s face and clothes to be the first thing that you notice. Next comes Omar with his intense gaze.

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