Too busy?

[CCericola]

I was always taught in art school that cutting people in half or cutting people's heads off in a photo is just plain bad composition and design. If you were doing it on purpose say for an ad it might make sense but in this case it is horrible. The poor thing is cut in half. The colors in the green background are better but still do not compliment the subject.

The baby isn't cut in half, it's in a basket. Why is this "horrible"?

The baby is "cut in half" visually. And now that I look at it. It seems she also used photoshop to put the baby in the basket. The proportions between the baby and basket look off. Like she didn't make the basket big enough. Or it could be the camera angle if she was shooting slightly above the baby.

 

[SabrinaO]

I did not shop the baby in the basket...lol here is the original sooc. It didn't look like he'd fit, but he did! Babies are bendy

 

[shootermcgavin]

The green background is great, I don't know what people are talking about I think they need to go to JCPenney and see what people pay for everyday, this is way better. I think the shopped background is a ton better.

 

[CCericola]

I have no problem with digital backgrounds. I use them a lot. I just don't like the ones she chose to use. I'm wondering if you can move or make the baseboard thinner so it doesn't follow the line of the basket in PS. That might make it work.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

what? that photographers use photoshop??

Who cares if you photoshop anything in. As long as the paying client (and you) are happy then that's all that matters!

I don't care either. Composites are fun. My point is, from her comment that she thinks nobody would have noticed, and my comment meant that if you have been around here long enough to see her posts, you know she fixes, and replaces tons in photoshop. That it becomes a given that what she posts is rarely SOOC with typical adjustments made to the image. No harm, no foul. It's her THING.

 

[Ballistics]

I was always taught in art school that cutting people in half or cutting people's heads off in a photo is just plain bad composition and design. If you were doing it on purpose say for an ad it might make sense but in this case it is horrible. The poor thing is cut in half. The colors in the green background are better but still do not compliment the subject.

The baby isn't cut in half, it's in a basket. Why is this "horrible"?

The baby is "cut in half" visually. And now that I look at it. It seems she also used photoshop to put the baby in the basket. The proportions between the baby and basket look off. Like she didn't make the basket big enough. Or it could be the camera angle if she was shooting slightly above the baby.

Cropping may be one thing, but the baby in a basket does not "cut" it in half. Especially since it can signify Santa Claus going down the chimney. Not every picture is supposed to have every limb. I think a little research is in order.


https://lightning.safe-order.net/ar...rtraits/Piet_Mondrian,_New_York,_NY,_1942.jpg
https://lightning.safe-order.net/ar...raits/Igor_Stravinsky,_New_York,_NY,_1946.jpg
https://lightning.safe-order.net/arnoldnewmanarchive/Joomla/images/stories/portraits/Woody_Allen,_New_York,_NY,_1996.jpg
http://icydk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/brooklyn-decker-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-6.jpg
http://www.gotceleb.com/wp-content/...orts-illustrated-swimsuit-2011-42-530x795.jpg


So what would your art school say about these images?

You say you were "taught" that it's bad to cut people in half. Why is it bad to cut people in half? You still haven't told me why it's horrible.

 

[Aayria]

I think the baby is adorable and I love his expression. The focus is good, and the catchlights in his eyes are quite nice...

That being said..this image makes me uneasy to look at. There is some lens distortion or something going on that makes his head seem disproportionate with the rest of his body...He may have been able to "bend" into that tiny basket, but the end result isn't a baby that looks cute in a basket..the pose just makes it look like he has no lower torso. The emphasis of the harsh dividing line between the base board and the white of the basket only emphasizes this cut in half effect.

Personally, I prefer the solid color background, but I would gladly take the different texturized/background additions if the overal feel of the photo could just be changed. Next time, it would help to get down lower or to use a larger basket, so that the dividing line isn't even with your baseboard. Or you could just pull the basket forward more from the background, or use a basket that doesn't have a solid white trimming.

It would also help the posing, if we could see his knees, or feet, or something to indicate that he does in fact have a lower body.... I know that sounds harsh, but this picture really is uncomfortable to view from a technical standpoint.

I'm sure the mom will love it, especially since it's her baby, he's in great focus, and his expression is so sweet. But you can do it much much better than this with some tweaking.

Lastly, can you smooth out your faux floor? The bumps look like that old laminate flooring that starts bubbling up and peeling from the 1970s...maybe you could even just do it in photoshop if the floor itself can't be fixed. TFS!

 

[CCericola]

The baby isn't cut in half, it's in a basket. Why is this "horrible"?

The baby is "cut in half" visually. And now that I look at it. It seems she also used photoshop to put the baby in the basket. The proportions between the baby and basket look off. Like she didn't make the basket big enough. Or it could be the camera angle if she was shooting slightly above the baby.

Cropping may be one thing, but the baby in a basket does not "cut" it in half. Especially since it can signify Santa Claus going down the chimney. Not every picture is supposed to have every limb. I think a little research is in order.


https://lightning.safe-order.net/ar...rtraits/Piet_Mondrian,_New_York,_NY,_1942.jpg
https://lightning.safe-order.net/ar...raits/Igor_Stravinsky,_New_York,_NY,_1946.jpg
https://lightning.safe-order.net/arnoldnewmanarchive/Joomla/images/stories/portraits/Woody_Allen,_New_York,_NY,_1996.jpg
http://icydk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/brooklyn-decker-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-6.jpg
http://www.gotceleb.com/wp-content/...orts-illustrated-swimsuit-2011-42-530x795.jpg


So what would your art school say about these images?

You say you were "taught" that it's bad to cut people in half. Why is it bad to cut people in half? You still haven't told me why it's horrible.

The basket is not the problem . It is the line made by the basket and baseboard. All of your examples you posted are not similar to the OP's picture. In fact the first one is a great example of breaking up the lines to create a more dynamic composition. Showing part of the subject is not the problem. The problem is in the composition. The visual of the horizon line exactly lining up with the basket separates the two halves of the picture making the baby and basket unconnected. By breaking up that line like moving the baseboard up or down you break that separation and detachment. making it a more pleasing composition. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I keep forgetting a lot of photographers do not have formal art training and I tend to assume people know the same design guidelines.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

So what would your art school say about these images?

It says you aren't quite sure what the problem is.

 

[Helen B]

That being said..this image makes me uneasy to look at. There is some lens distortion or something going on that makes his head seem disproportionate with the rest of his body...He may have been able to "bend" into that tiny basket, but the end result isn't a baby that looks cute in a basket..the pose just makes it look like he has no lower torso.

...

It would also help the posing, if we could see his knees, or feet, or something to indicate that he does in fact have a lower body.... I know that sounds harsh, but this picture really is uncomfortable to view from a technical standpoint.
...
Lastly, can you smooth out your faux floor? The bumps look like that old laminate flooring that starts bubbling up and peeling from the 1970s...

Those were the things that struck me the most, and Aayria has put it more tactfully than I might have done. I'm also puzzled about the overall feel of the picture - it looks like the poor legless baby has been abandoned in an empty room that was last decorated in the 70's.

Best,
Helen

 

[Ballistics]

So what would your art school say about these images?

It says you aren't quite sure what the problem is.

I do know what the problem is. The problem is there is too much parroting taking place in this forum.

The basket is not the problem . It is the line made by the basket and baseboard. All of your examples you posted are not similar to the OP's picture. In fact the first one is a great example of breaking up the lines to create a more dynamic composition. Showing part of the subject is not the problem. The problem is in the composition. The visual of the horizon line exactly lining up with the basket separates the two halves of the picture making the baby and basket unconnected. By breaking up that line like moving the baseboard up or down you break that separation and detachment. making it a more pleasing composition. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. I keep forgetting a lot of photographers do not have formal art training and I tend to assume people know the same design guidelines.

Your "formal" art training has nothing to do with your lack of initial explanation. Saying that the baby is cut in half making the picture horrible, and then explaining it this way are 2 totally different points and completely different messages. You said cutting the subject in half is horrible. I was establishing my point based on your comment, not the pictures composition.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

The vast majority of us understood the verbal short-hand; the problem noted was obvious.

 

[Ballistics]

The vast majority of us understood the verbal short-hand; the problem noted was obvious.

Vast majority lol.

Of course you would say something in contradiction to my post. If you got what she meant out of her first post, you are a mind reader.

 

[Tony S]

Your professor is full of bad bean dip by not letting you crop this. You can compose an image as nice as you want, but if the camera sensor dimensions don't allow you to fill the frame for the final print size with your subject then crop the extra out. Not everyone is long and lean like big bird to fill a vertical framing nicely. Just keep this in mind when composing shots that you need different amounts of space around your subject for different final print sizes. it's a tool in your kit, use it.

Here's the picture with lines showing approximate crops, all but the squared are based from the bottom up.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

It says you aren't quite sure what the problem is.

I do know what the problem is. The problem is there is too much parroting taking place in this forum.

Do tell!