Wednesday: The One That Got Away: Episode #8

Good Morning Everybody,

We had another beautiful drive through the mountains yesterday on our way to Atlanta.We have determined that we sure do live in a beautiful country. And you know, one of these days, we're even going to stop and see Rock City and Ruby Falls ;~)

We had another big crowd in Atlanta last night – well over 200. We had one minor problem when we arrived yesterday to set.  It seems half of our ballroom was still being used by anther group till 5:00 p.m. – the time when our attendees begin to show up – YIKES!!!

At 5:00 p.m. the other part of the ballroom cleared and the hotel staff swung into action.  In a matter of minutes, about 20 minutes, we were ready to go and our meeting kicked off on time. 

Once again we had attendees travel in from great distances to see the program.  My buddy Art flew in from San Antonio just to be there.  Many drove 4 or more hours to see the program.  

The biggest surprise was when John Kirchhofer can up to say HI – he came all the way from Brazil!!!.  He coordinated and timed his trip to visit his brother and see our CBTL2010 tour!  Again, my sincerest thanks to all that made the long journeys to see the program.

Hey gang, we hit the trail early again this morning heading to Charlotte.  Let’s get right on with today’s post.

Update On My Upcoming Rocket Speed Digital Design Webcast

Since announcing the webcast just one week ago, it is not over half full with over 500 folks signed up so far! Remember, the webcast tops out at 1000 attendees.

I would not be waiting to the last minute to sign up if you plan to attend. You can get all the info and register right here.

The One That Got Away: Episode #8

Today we have a really nice image to discuss - it is just so close. We have a beautiful bride and a fabulous location working for us in this photograph. Once again, let's take a look at what was does right in the photograph.

1- This a a beautiful example of a very nice bridal portrait. The pose is comfortable and flattering to the bride.

2- The maker has turned the bride's body and shoulders away from the light and turned her head back into the direction of the light. This caused the light to cross the surface of the gown creating highlights next to shadows really bring out the detail of the gown's fabric.

3- The maker turned the bride's face back to the light just enough to give us a very pleasing modified 2/3's view of the bride which also really flatters our subject.

4- Look too at the lighting on her face. Once again, it's beautiful - a perfect loop lighting pattern on her face.

5- Next look at the bride's positioning within the small interior frame of the small shadowed arch in the background. It frames her head nicely in this image.

6- Even the strong lines of the church pillars add a certain dynamic impact to the photograph.

So you're thinking, so what don't I like about the image? Before I explain my thoughts about what can be improved, review the image one more time. Is there any one thing that could improve this image up a few notches?

Hit the "Read more...." link below for the rest of tone story.

OK gang, you know I like this image pretty much. I like the lighting, the location, and the easy, flattering pose. So what's the main objective about this image that makes it a near miss? Mostly it's the crop. Let me explain.

1- Look at the bride is this great location. There is way to much of that location hanging on the right side of the image. The maker is inviting the viewer to look at the right side of the image, but there is nothing to look at, just empty church. If part of the image is just taking up space, just crop it off.

2- Now look at the cropped image below. Notice how the viewer's eye goes directly to the bride now no longer distracted by all the empty space on the right. A simple crop takes the image to the next level.

3- That small change makes a big difference but are there other options too? I think so. I wish the maker had explored a few more vantage points. Knowing what this church looks like, I would have liked to see the camera moved around the bride to the right. That would have picked up a bit more of the very dramatic main altar.

DAZNOTE:

It's a minor change but I think the composition could have been improved even more. Without knowing the church you have not a clue what I'm talking about. But the point I'm trying to make is this:

When you have a great image in the works with a beautiful subject and great lighting, simply explore the entire scene thoroughly. The added effort many times will result in an image even better than the first exposure.

________________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today. We're looking forward to seeing our friends in Charlotte, North Carolina this evening. I hope you will come up and say HI.

After today's stop, we head northward to Washington, D.C. where we plan to spend the weekend hang in' with the Prez and Michele ;~). Don't worry, I'll still be around for tomorrow's Business Day Thursday.

See ya' then, David