Variations on the photo I asked people to critique. What do you think?

[JeffR]

Poll question: Variations on the photo I asked people to critique. What do you think?

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions on this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=280x70185#top

Here are some attempts to crop or alter the photo based on the feedback I got. Apologies if I misinterpreted any of the suggestions.

Crop suggested by RagingInMiami:



Similar crop suggested by Celebration, but a little more traffic showing:



Crop suggested by Mira:



Crop suggested by Dyedinthewoolliberal:



No crop, but a little blur and desaturation on the bus shelter sign, suggested by NV Whino:

[hippywife]

1. I didn't vote in the poll because

I'm really kind of torn between the last two. I guess if I had to pick, it would be NV Whino's version, I think. I like the blur on the bus sign and the traffic, and that she's a little farther away.

Happy Birthday, Jeff! :hi:

[JeffR]

2. Thanks, hippywife!

:hug:

[Xipe Totec]

3. The sense I get from this picture is "swimming against the tide"

All the traffic is going one way, and she is going in the opposite direction.

She is heading toward the sign that says "Bridge", but the traffic light (red hand) says don't cross.

The speed limit says 40. Or is it an age limit? She is well past it.

Light is dawning, but her life is fading.

Very sad.

[Celebration]

4. Though I voted for my version

I have to say that I think I would have moved the whole thing a tad bit to the right (now that I see it)! and gone more with the Mz Pip version, which you did not show, which also took a bit off the bottom.

I think I might try cropping this sometime tonight, just for fun ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

And, I really, REALLY love this photo.

PS-- Wonder what Richard D would suggest? :rofl:

[JeffR]

9. I totally botched this poll.

After doing a crop to Mz Pip's suggestion, I forgot to include it above.

Here it is:



:blush:

[Celebration]

16. this is it!!

Good one.

All are fine, just personal preference.........

Love your photo, and this was fun to contemplate.

[Mira]

5. What a fun exercise.

It's a photo that tugs at my emotion.
I like "my" crop OK, it's what I had in mind but I'll ponder them a bit longer.
I very much like the desaturation of the sign. I had been bothered by it being a bit bright, and had no clue it could be spot desaturated.

Did you do that in photoshop?

And as I read I get clued in that it is your birthday!
Peace - Love - and Happiness to you!

I hope you made sure it's a marvelous day for you.

[JeffR]

10. A quick rectangular selection feathered by 5 pixels

in Photoshop. Should really have applied it to all the versions, but I was too busy forgetting Mz Pip's crop!

And thanks! It was a nice day.

[ManiacJoe]

6. I voted for the version by RagingInMiami.

I find that the traffic is distracting. However, the real question is what was the original story being attempted by the photographer? (That did not seem clear in the original thread.)

[JeffR]

11. What really prompted the exercise of asking for critiques

is that I didn't have a handle on the scene. Alfredo and Xipe Totec made compelling narratives from it. The photographer was just a dope walking down the street with a camera around his neck, who noticed the light had taken on a pleasing late afternoon cast and took the shot with no premeditation.

[ManiacJoe]

14. Kind of what I thought.

:evilgrin:
Been there, done that.

[Celebration]

7. I think it comes down to this

JeffR, which one do you like the best?

[JeffR]

12. Still struggling with that. All the crops help streamline the scene some.

And they all serve to get the woman shifted from dead center, which helps wake up the composition. If I had to vote, I'd probably go for the dingbat option...

[NV Whino]

8. Although I still like the uncropped version, I voted for #2.

But desaturating the sign, whatever the crop or no crop is a big plus. Un-desaturated (I know that's a word–it's in the Sarah Palin dictionary), the sign pulls too much attention away from the woman.

Whatever you ultimately decide, this remains a very poignant photo. If I were that woman, I would like that photo as a statement about my life.

[JeffR]

13. That was a very useful suggestion, NV.

As I noted above, I should have applied it to all the crops. It really helps.

[Stevenmarc]

15. Well I'm partial to the first one

and I would also desaturated and blur the sign but the thing that I would really want to do is to ditch the poles sprouting out of her head.