5A ReImagining Visual Framing

original picture

In contrasting this original picture with the one that I cropped --

cropped photo

                                                                            --we can see a contrast and affinity between the images.  Both images are from the same photo, so obviously affinity is inherent in both. Contrast occurs when we compare what the original artist wanted to show with what I decided to leave out in my image.

I was drawn to the original image because of the strong visual intensity Sally Mann depicted in her photography.  The lack of color encourages the viewer to focus on the subject matter and composition rather than the color palette used. I decided to increase the intensity by zooming into a closeup of the tree.  This shot type increases the significance and importance of the tree itself, and lessens the impact of the location it is in. The positioning of the tree in the center of the frame in the original, however, seems to violate the rule of thirds.  A scene is made more visually appealing when the object of importance is not centered. Therefore, in my image I positioned the tree to the right of the frame.  In this manner, the viewer's eyes will be drawn screen right first, and then will explore the rest of the frame. This also relates to the use of active and didactic voice.  Sally's original photo uses a didactic voice by positioning the tree in the center of the frame - the viewer is visually cued as to what is important and prominent, with nothing left to chance.  By using the rule of thirds in my frame, an active voice is used.  The viewer is urged to be intrigued by the tree in the foreground, but has the option to be interested in the fence in the background if they so desire. My version allows the viewer to choose freely what to be influenced by, while Sally's original forces the tree into the forefront no matter where you look.