This is how it's done

[compasiune11]

Nice image. I like the way you procesed it.
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My Website: Fotograf Nunta | My Blog: Albume de nunta

[george013]

Agreed.

Issue one is the left / hand right hand issue, which is easy to fix in this shot.

The other is what George has brought up, and that is where having the subject is directed into the frame, is generally a stronger composition. In this case, that is "major surgery" on this image.

Both points are worth considering and as always, these photographic "rules" won't always hold. In this example, is suspect that they do.

I don't believe in that idea of scanning from bottom left to top right. Not in this simple way. And when you say

There have been a number of studies that seem to show that in certain societies (ours is one of them), we scan from the bottom left corner of the document and move towards the top right.

you neither.
When I pick up a newspaper I never start at the bottom.
Viewing an image is different. The bottom is the foreground, mostly the most busy part of the image. And I read from left to right. Well, that counts for us, still a minority on this world I believe.
Just some thoughts.

George

[Manfred M]

I don't believe in that idea of scanning from bottom left to top right. Not in this simple way. And when you say you neither.
When I pick up a newspaper I never start at the bottom.
Viewing an image is different. The bottom is the foreground, mostly the most busy part of the image. And I read from left to right. Well, that counts for us, still a minority on this world I believe.
Just some thoughts.

George

George - there is a difference between scanning a document to identify where the information we are looking for is versus reading it.

Like you, I read from left to right and from top to bottom. Looking for where the relevant information is located to start reading is something that is entirely different and the premise of what the study I worked on seemed to confirm. My photographic composition course mentioned this as well aspect on how to assemble the elements in an image as well.

What I don't know and would like to see the research behind is not only whether this is true or not, but also why it is so. I suspect that this is no different than subjects that are centred not being as strong compositionally as a subject that is offset (rule of thirds, for example). Same goes for things like the colour wheel with complementary colours working together quite well, etc.

There are all kinds of "rules" that we look at that are generally accepted, but very little information as to the underlying reasons for this being the case.

[george013]

George - there is a difference between scanning a document to identify where the information we are looking for is versus reading it.

Like you, I read from left to right and from top to bottom. Looking for where the relevant information is located to start reading is something that is entirely different and the premise of what the study I worked on seemed to confirm. My photographic composition course mentioned this as well aspect on how to assemble the elements in an image as well.

What I don't know and would like to see the research behind is not only whether this is true or not, but also why it is so. I suspect that this is no different than subjects that are centred not being as strong compositionally as a subject that is offset (rule of thirds, for example). Same goes for things like the colour wheel with complementary colours working together quite well, etc.

There are all kinds of "rules" that we look at that are generally accepted, but very little information as to the underlying reasons for this being the case.

I just googled on landscape and selected the picture button. Going fast through the images my eyes first see the most prominent subject. Just as in this picture my eyes are going to the mother and child directly.

George

[Manfred M]

I just googled on landscape and selected the picture button. Going fast through the images my eyes first see the most prominent subject. Just as in this picture my eyes are going to the mother and child directly.

George

George, unless you have a video camera tracking your eye movement, you have no idea as to how you are scanning the image. This all happens in a fraction of a second.

Getting your eyes to the subject is what the photographer is trying to do. but the mechanics of how they get there is what I am interested in.