Image Development

Exercise Aims
To explore the different impressions, moods, dynamic and meanings achieved by cropping an image in different ways.

It took me ages and several attempts to find an image which changed dramatically when cropped whilst still retaining the same content, as per the brief. Eventually I found a photo that I took in 2000 when I was filming in Beirut and Tripoli. One of the cameraman and another producer went in search of a good shot of the city out onto the old walls.

Exploration

This was the basic image, the cameraman is somewhat bravely heading off despite a precipitous drop to his left. 

Dangerous

Cropping some of the producer out of frame as well as losing the ground level on the right of the frame makes us focus on the drop to the left,  enhancing the feeling of danger.

Sightseeing 

The danger is removed from the image by losing the drop

Following

Bringing more of the producer into frame makes her seem to be following in his footsteps

watching

by losing the producer's legs, she now seems to be observing the cameraman - cropping out the skyline makes the buildings seem neverending, the mood is quite claustrophobic. The cropping of some of the drop pushes the focus more onto the buildings.

Leaving

Adding the skyline back in creates a lighter mood, the cameraman seems to be heading purposefully into space leaving the producer behind.

Alone

Losing the cameraman from the image makes the producer look alone and a bit lost, purposeless. The image loses it's impact entirely.

Precipitous

Cropping out the producer altogether and one of the cameraman's arms unbalances him and heightens to feeling of danger, it looks like he's about to topple

Careful

Narrowing the image focuses us on the cameraman's feet, and he now looks as if he is treading very carefully. One is still aware of the drop, but it could be on both sides in this image

Purposeful

Here one is unaware of his context but because he is in midstride and pushing against the frame, the cameraman looks purposeful,

On Top of the World

Losing the drop confuses the eye, we now don't know what he is standing on, but he still seems to be high up, because of the buildings below us.

Floating

Now he appears to be floating - no idea where he is standing