Selective process and prominence

I have done this exercise in a slightly modified form. Instead of starting with a single photograph and using post processing techniques to make the figure less prominent or more prominent, I have used two photographs. My reason was that in one of the photographs I took for Busy Traffic (Project 20), there was a man in a bright shirt standing in the foreground who distracted attention from the point of main visual interest, the people buying grapes from a stall holder in the mid-ground. Whilst hypothetically possible to make this foreground figure even more prominent, there seemed little purpose in doing this. On the other hand, I felt that one of the photos of anonymous figures (Project 21) might be better if figure stood out more strongly against the background. I have therefore used this as my second example.

In both cases, the original versions of these photos were produced using the relatively limited tools available in the iPhoto software on an iPad. On returning home, I have adjusted the original RAW files using Lightroom 3 to make similar adjustments, but in addition I have added further corrections using the Adjustment Brush tool. 

Making the figure less prominent - original

Making the figure less prominent - after adjustment

The man in the yellow shirt in the right foreground is rather too prominent in the frame. Cropping was not suitable, as his elbow extended too far into the frame and I wanted to show the people crowding around the fruit stall. I used the Adjustment brush to desaturate and darken the colour of his shirt. I also darkened the the vehicles and signs in the background but lightened the figure walking away from the market in the background. The result does not look unnatural or artificial. The portrayal of the market stall is I think significantly improved by these adjustments. 

Making the figure more prominent - original

Making the figure more prominent - adjusted

I felt that the gardeners figure in the foreground should be more prominent. In the original, the figure is relatively large in the frame, but there is little contrast between the light area on the back of his shirt and the background buildings. Again using the Adjustment brush, I darkened the back of this shirt and his trouser leg, and I lightened slightly the timber framed building behind his figure. This selective increase in contrast strengthens the composition, and improves the impression of depth in the photograph.
Conclusions
The iPhoto software is a valuable tool for selecting photos and producing a preliminary selection from the photos taken in the field. I, nevertheless still consider the jpeg photos produced by the iPad as preliminary versions. I use the information to guide the selection and processing of the better photos on the desktop  computer when I return home to produce final versions. This gives the opportunity to revisit and sometimes rethink what processing adjustments are suitable.