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.

Adjusting the balance between person and space

For this project, I have selected two photographs that I took whilst I was a volunteer at the Olympic Park.
Image 1: Stratford Station - bus pick up area

Panasonic Lumix 14-42mm at 14mm (28 mm equivalent): Iso 800 f8 for 1/8th seconds
This photograph was taken late at night after a rainshower. The lights make the structure of the shelter the visual point of interest of the scene against a dark background. The reflectiveness of the wet paving stones adds light and vibrancy to the scene. In the left foreground, two blurred figures are moving down the steps adding colour and foreground interest. There are other small figures in the background.
Image 2: Stratford Station - bus pick up area

Panasonic Lumix 14-42mm at 15mm (30mm equivalent): Iso 200 f7.1 for 1/400th seconds
This photograph was taken from an almost identical viewpoint at about 5.30 pm on a busy afternoon. The steps in the foreground are jammed with people, and down below, people are swarming towards the waiting buses.
The visual prominence of the building is much less:-

• The people are more important in terms of the space they occupy and their position in the picture. 
• The lighting is more even so that the shapes of the shelter and other structures visually recede. 
• The composition is much busier. The red bus on the right of the frame and the buildings and billboard in the background all compete for attention. 

Conclusion
In image 1, the shapes of the space and the structures are, by far, the main point of interest in the picture.
In image 2, the people and the place compete for attention. The people have their backs to the camera and there are so many of them that it is not the character of the individuals or the group that draws attention. The main point of interest is the mass of people moving and scattering across the station. The eye is drawn to look at the modernistic structures in the middle ground to discern what is going on there, but the structures are no longer the main point of interest.
Clearly, it is not just the space taken by the people that is changing the character of these two pictures. It is one of the key differences between the two photographs.

Making figures anonymous

I often choose to include figures in photographs of the places I visit. One reason for this is that I do not see much interest in pictures of buildings or landscapes which are devoid of people. Having a figure in an image can provide a useful point of interest, it can add some asymmetry, it can provide a sense of scale. In the foreground it can provide a feeling of depth.
I have chosen a few photos to illustrate use of anonymous figures in photographs of place.
Image 1: Dahlia Garden, Dunster

Lumix G3 14-42 mm at 14mm (equivalent to 28mm): Iso 200 f8 for 1/320th seconds
At the time of our visit to Dunster in September, the dahlias in this open garden were almost all in bloom, and the colours were attracting a lot of photographers. Many photographers were taking close-ups of the flowers, but this was not what I wanted. Rather I wanted to show this garden of flowers in the context of the church and town buildings in the background. The problem photographically was that the horizontal rows of flowers in the foreground would produce a rather static composition. Furthermore, there was nothing to lead the viewers eye into the picture.
I noticed this gardner who was deadheading the dahlias, and I moved into a position where he was close but off centre. He ignored my presence as he concentrated on what he was doing. I did not want to see his face, as the picture would then have been more of a portrait of him than a view of the garden. I waited until he looked down so that only the top of his head is visible.
I believe that his presence achieves my aim of dealing with the compositional problem. The gardner is a useful element in the composition that breaks up the horizontal lines of the flowers but the flowers remain the dominant visual element in the frame.
Image 2:  Surfers at Hendaye

Panasonic Lumix G3 14-42mm at 23mm: Iso 200 f16 for 1/250th seconds
Hendaye, on the Atlantic coast border between France and Spain, is a town with an enormous beach, very wide and flat. In early October, surfing was the main activity, but the groups of surfers were mere dots in the sea. We arrived at about midday, when the sun was still high in the sky.
I was looking for a composition which would serve as a record of the scene, but needed some foreground visual interest. I saw these two lads sitting on the wall with their surfboards close to one of the small trees along the promenade. They were engrossed watching the waves in the distance and they were oblivious of me behind them.
A photograph across the bay from this location would otherwise be rather dull. The fact that they had their back to me was an advantage as their individuality is not seen. They become part of the scenery.
The end result is an image which, I felt, conveys pictorially something of the character of the resort.
Image 3: Orbit and Olympic stadium

Panasonic Lumix 14-42 mm at 22m (equivalent to 44mm): Iso 400 f 7.1 for 1/400th seconds
As a volunteer at the Olympic Park, I had time to go around the park at various times of day to do some photography. It was in the second week, after having taken photos of the stadium and the Orbit from almost every angle, that I come across this viewpoint on some steps alongside one of the main entry bridges. It was gone 8 pm and the light was starting to fade, but it was not yet lighting up time.
I went out looking for interesting silhouettes against the bright sky and water reflections. It was the silhouette of the volunteer on the high seat which immediately caught my attention. I also liked the juxtaposition of the verticals of the Orbit and the high chair. I moved around trying various compositions of vertical and horizontal framing. I decided to include the two poles and the stadium in the right background as this seemed to establish a balance with  the Orbit structure on the left. These lines seem to converge on the umbrella on top of the high chair, which I feel should be the main point of visual interest.
Nevertheless, I consider this to be a landscape with figures, rather than a photograph of people. The figures in the high chair and the passers-by are important in the composition providing an idea of the purpose of the place.
Image 4: Romanesque entrance, Moissac Abbey

Panasonic Lumix 14-42 mm at 14m (equivalent to 28mm): Iso 200 f 7.1 for 1/30th seconds
In this picture, also, I believe that the silhouetted figure is making a valuable contribution to the composition. If he were absent, the viewers eye would naturally move to the light doorway. The figure, however, draws the eye and helps to counteract this natural tendency. The figure also provides an element of asymmetry in what would otherwise be quite a symmetrical subject.
Conclusions
One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt during this course is to recognize scenes where something extra is needed to make an interesting composition. Anonymous figures are very useful and they can function in various ways as illustrated above to make a better composition.