Help Recomposing Photograph - Opinions Needed

[blue dog]

Here's an original and revised photo. The issue with the original is that the two photos on the desk are the girl's parents and the photos are long lost.

I felt a recomposition was in order to bring the girls and the photos 'together'. What do you think?

Also looking for advice on how much further I need to go. I know that I have some shadow-consistency issues but I am not sure other people would notice. Also, because of the original lighting, I faked the wall paper which looks a bit pristine now. Advice?

[fpellerin]

I think recompositing the picture was a good idea. There are a few little things that I feel should be addressed.
1- Like you noted, the shadows are an obvious one.
2- The youngest girls' face is somewhat "distorted"
3- There are visible traces of "retouching" on the wallpaper (smudging/cloning?)

You're certainly headed in the right direction. I'll take a "stab" at the picture when I get home tonight and post what I end up with.

[Ken Fournelle]

I believe it all depends on what the person commissioning the photo wants. However, when doing these old photos I try to keep the integrity of the image. I am very careful in cropping, and manipulating background and objects in the frame. I have found people, especially if it is a location or an event they remember, like to recall where a table, garage, car, tree or house was. The photo confirms or helps them remember the place or event.

While your repositioning of the table and photos brings them together, it changes the historical fact of the image. If the client wants it that way, so be it, but I would be careful in making those changes without permission. If this restored image were for a historical venue, it surely wouldn't fly.

Just a thought and not a criticism.

K

[fpellerin]

That's a very good point Ken. I could not agree more! (while making my initial comment, I was presuming that this is what the persons had asked for.)

[blue dog]

Good point. In this case, the older girl is my mother, and she asked if I could do something like this.

Thanks for the inputs.

[palomino]

I think I might even crop almost all of the legs out up to just below the girls hands...IMHO the feet being cut off in the photo itself is quite distracting. I like the new composition (as long as it is ok by your mama ), and I think if you can fix up the stray telltale PS signs, you will be well on your way. Is this going to be printed? That is another consideration, b/c it will be cropped to a standard size. Good luck!

-K

[blue dog]

Am I the only one that goes spastic over cut-off legs and feet? I've gone so far as to surround the missing feet in a mysterious black fog.

See attached. I am the big goofy guy.

[Caitlin]

I think your recomposed shot looks quite convincing, and has certainly achieved your goal of bringing the photos into closer proximity with the girls.

My only concern is similar to that expressed by Ken, but more specifically in relation to the photos themselves. I think that things like furniture are to an extent fair game in the recompositing stakes - as it is really a portrait, so it is the people that matter. Unless the layout of the living room is an important memory it probably can be sacrificed for the sake of a good portrait. However, the photos of the mother and father themselves have been flipped, which if you knew the person intimately could look very strange, as people's faces are rarely symmetrical. I realise that it improves the composition, and I can't actually suggest a good composition without doing this, but it is something worth keeping in mind. If you did this with a current member of your family chances are you would notice it looked wrong.

[blue dog]

Thank you Caitlin, I had completely forgot about those pictures being backwards. I knew it at one time.... And, thanks for saying its convincing.

Right now I think that I'm going to plow ahead in this direction. Its a comfort that nobody said it looked faked.

Thanks

[Flora]

Hi blue dog,

I couldn't agree more with Ken, even though I think cropping this particular picture is correct!

You had a lot of empty wall above and on the right (my right) of the girls .... If an area contains no significant details or, like here, no details at all, I tend to crop it ....

Keeping in mind that

Originally Posted by Ken Fournelle

I have found people, especially if it is a location or an event they remember, like to recall where a table, garage, car, tree or house was.

.. instead of moving girls and stool ... I simply flipped them horizontally so their bodies turn torward the pictures.

After balancing shadows and highlights I kept everything a bit on the 'dark' side to make girls and pictures stand out more ...

As for your other picture, it looks like a cut and paste job ... and the 'mysterious black fog' which actually looks more like a solid black blob... will look even worse if printed...

[blue dog]

You can't just flip people in a picture! My mother doesn't part her hair on that side, and my aunt's mole is on the other side!

You just weren't thinking , right? Bad day? Have another cup of coffee.

Ciao

[Daviskw]

Hi There

Here is another alternative that may solve a few problems. Rather than flipping or moving to the other side, why not just move them in front of the table and closer to the pictures?

Butch

[Flora]

Originally Posted by blue dog

You just weren't thinking , right? Bad day? Have another cup of coffee.

Actually, I thought about it quite a bit ... and it seemed to me the less destructive way to get closer to what you wished ... 'Bad day?' ... Not at all ...

Originally Posted by blue dog

You can't just flip people in a picture! My mother doesn't part her hair on that side, and my aunt's mole is on the other side!

Messing with the parting of your mother's hair and with your aunt's mole ... (which I haven't seen ... but buying new glasses is right on top of my 'next to do' list).. is definitely the last thing I wanted!!! ... Next time I will also 'flip' or move everything else instead ... honest injun!