Women Enjoying Snow Cones

[Mike Buckley]

Which version do you prefer?

I like the color of the snow cones and that it complements the color of the three women's shirts. However, the strong colors in the background are a distraction for me. That's despite that I darkened and desaturated them as much as possible without making them look unnatural.

I like the B&W version because it eliminates the distracting background colors, but I miss the color in the snow cones. I'm generally not a fan of selective color and wouldn't want it in this particular image, so that option is out at least for me.

All other C&C also encouraged.

[Donald]

Which version do you prefer?

A bit of a dilemma. However, on balance, I think I would go with the colour version.

You have identified the disadvantages, but I feel the advantages (colour on the cones, on the shirts, skin etc) weigh-out the disadvantages of losing those elements, as shown in the B & W version.

For me, the strength of the image is its colour, moreso than the composition or the lines, shapes etc.. So, for me, it's got to have the colour in it.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks for articulating your critical thinking so well, Donald. Very insightful and perhaps will influence my own thinking over time.

[Loose Canon]

Hi Mike!

Though selective color is out, would desaturating the background some and maybe blurring it more be an option?

[Mike Buckley]

Terry,

Thanks for the ideas, but I have already desaturated and darkened the distracting colors in the background. To do so more looked so unnatural to my eyes that it became its own distraction of a different kind. The two main "offenders" for me are the red shirts in the background in the middle of the image. Blurring them doesn't affect them because the result is still a solid splash of red.

[Mike Buckley]

Why didn't I think of the ideal solution earlier? I changed the offending colors. Do you folks like this better?

[Donald]

Excellent. That works really well.

[Sunray]

Interessting. I never thought that changing a small amount of color in the background can affect an image that much. Well done.

cu
Robert

[FrankMi]

Yes indeed! Red is usually an strong eye grabber so if it isn't in the subject it is usually a distraction.

Well done, Mike!

[rpcrowe]

I cloned out many of the distracting elements in the BG, especially the men's faces and replaced them with sky and foliage copied from other areas. I did not do a careful job so I will not post the results. But, if care were taken, the results could be decent...

Another solution would be to duplicate the three women and place them on a non-distracting background of your choice...

[Loose Canon]

Much better, Mike.

Nice job!

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, all!

Richard,

Your ideas would certainly work well. Thanks for offering them and especially for taking the time to try one of them!

I suppose the reason I didn't think of them on my own is that your solutions are more drastic. (A better word doesn't come to mind, though several probably exist.) To eliminate so many background faces or to use a different background altogether changes the environment in whch the three women are enjoying their snow cones perhaps to the point that the image would tell a different story. It might or might not be a better story, but at least different. Not that that in itself is good or bad, but worth considering.

If I were to use one of your suggestions, I would probably be inclined to change the background altogether. Doing so would allow for more creativity and control over the story being told.

All,

As an aside, I captured this image as a volunteer photographer for the American Heart Association 10K run in Washington, DC. These women had just finished the run and the snow cones were donated by a corporate sponsor. One of my responsibilities was to provide images that promote the sponsors' participation. I provided the Heart Association with the first two images in the thread. I wouldn't consider altering the image intended for their use as I did here because the team of runners wearing the red shirts might become offended, which might affect their willingness to participate in future years. I also wouldn't consider eliminating the faces in the background because the Heart Association wants to show that lots of people showed up. Interesting situation!