For most of us tourists and casual photographers, getting that "perfect" shot without people in it takes more effort than most of us will spend. Often, it's just impossible. So, we need to learn to work our fellow tourists into our shots as part of the scene which, after all, they are. People can add color, a sense of motion, and/or a measure of scale to a photograph. Getting that shot can mean standing around for a while until the stars align. You know it when it happens, but a lot of the time it just doesn't.
Software is getting better at removing unwanted elements in photos and I'm certainly not opposed to doing that. It's all part of the creative process. This shot is so-so in my opinion. I would remove the woman and girl walking toward the left. I wish the lone walking woman was a little more toward the left, not blocking any of the window pane. The disembodied feet in tennis shoes on the lower right would also go. I like the idea of taking a picture of a guy taking a picture. I'm not sure it works here as well as I had hoped. But it's okay.
I sometimes like to include the passersby but often wish they would either get lost or move to create a better composition.
ReplyDeleteI'm not very tech savvy, but the newest update on iPhoto allows me to choose a function called "CleanUp" in the Edit function that pretty effectively removes a stray person or two (and even a passing auto) from a photo. As you say, other people are part of the reality of any moment, particularly at a tourist site, but it can be very easy and satisfying to delete that stranger that popped up in an awkward part of your photo's background.
ReplyDeleteIt is good for scale, as you point out, and that's a good use in this photo of these splendid ribbed vaults. Oh my!
ReplyDeleteI like that you took a photo of a guy taking a photo.
ReplyDeleteI like to read your comments about taking the photo! These arches really are fantastic! It is amusing to me to see someone else taking a photo, as well!
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