I like the idea and the execution. I think it was a good move to put the lady on the right on a diet. I'd like to know how you did it, as I can find no evidence of any distortions in her vicinity. I, myself, would prefer that the two chains on each side of the seat remain, as a single chain would be mechanically unstable, and thoughts of that induce a little anxiety in me. I also love the color of the leaves in early spring and I like how it shows in this image. I find the symmetry and slight deviations from it to be pleasing, but I also wonder how the scene would have looked if you had shot from five feet to the left or right of center.   Posted: 05/02/2023 12:13:42

Jim, nice idea! I like everything you've done so far. A couple little things to consider that might make it stronger. On the right side of the swing is a bright area, and that might be worth darkening a tad. And I think a big radial gradient covering both women with a tiny bit of exposure and a tiny bit of yellow will bring our attention to the woods.   Posted: 05/04/2023 20:19:32

This is an interesting image... I love the concept/idea of it. From my perspective, I wish there was something more interesting in front of the ladies as it feels like they should either be looking out at "something" or "nothing" ... the woods are nice and I like the pond I can see in the mid-distance. Simultaneously, the bench being built/placed where it was in such close proximity to the trees feels "strange" given what I can see in the image.

For me, I believe softening of the trees and surrounding background (foreground for the ladies) might help keep the focus on the ladies as the subject. The woods, lacking anything identifiable of interest, feels busy and pulls my eye away from the ladies and the bench, causing me to hunt instead for "exactly what are they looking at?"

I agree with Robert regarding the second chain, I would have kept it.

I also would have left the girth of the lady on the right unchanged ... for both reasons of personal preference toward presenting people genuinely, irrespective of their shape, and also as I felt that the asymmetry the contrasting shapes/sizes of the two ladies offered something of additional interest in the photo.

I am blown away by your editing skills at the same time... both the chain removal and the modifications to the lady's size. Well-executed cloning skills!   Posted: 05/07/2023 08:05:10

Hi Jim

Well tidied up, but for me the seat needs both chains or it wouldn't hang there to be sat on, and I'm with James that the original size of the woman looks better as it is part of the main subject. I also like the gesture with her right hand, it adds to the story that she's gesticulating to make her point, do you have a version that would make this more prominent.

The couple do seem to be looking straight at a tree trunk, real but not inspiring. With your skills and some time this could be tweaked, a quick example attached.



Th   Posted: 05/08/2023 10:15:27

I agree with the comments that a large tree in the middle of the image is distracting but I could not clone it out without the image no longer looking natural. So, instead I applied a Topaz creative filter to create more of an impression instead of a portrayal of reality (and I did leave both chains in the image).   Posted: 05/10/2023 10:01:00

Jim, you demonstrated how well the group can work! Everyone had a contribution, and you worked on it and came up with something so much better. I particularly like how much lighter and warmer the center is, which truly draws us in. Well done!   Posted: 05/17/2023 17:48:30