Bruce Titus
August 2026 - Little Boy With Hula-hoop
Original
About the Image(s)
There are often good photos imbedded in larger images that aren’t of much artistic value. I did not shoot the original photo with the final image in mind. I was at the World Fest music festival in Grass Valley, California ... just shooting crowd photos. When I went to view the photos in Lightroom Classic I realized there was a great photo hidden in one of the crowd photos. Fortunately, my camera is 45 megapixels so I can crop way down and still have enough resolution to create a decent final image. I cleaned up a lot of distractions in Photoshop and even used a touch of AI to fill in areas that were blocked in the original. I don’t think the edits affected the essence of the image. I would be interested in feedback regarding what you consider acceptable when editing a photo.
Shot at: World Fest music festival in Grass Valley, California.
Camera: Canon R5
Lens: Sigma 70 to 200
Focal Length: 185 mm
Shutter: 1/250th
F-stop: F8
16 comments posted
Bruce, Little boy's expression is priceless! Good job in cutting the image down to the two subjects. Although the original image, with all the people, gives you a sense of how focused the boy is on the woman hula hooping.
As far as what's acceptable in editing a photo, I believe is a personal decision and you also have to consider the image's purpose. Such as competition, relay a feeling or document an event. In answer to your question the essence of Little Boy with Hula-Hoop was kinda changed. The distractions heightened the boy's intense focus on the woman.
In looking for your AI edits, I see you removed the chair. I noticed that the boy's legs are different textures and sizes. Overall fantastic editing job. Love the photo.
Posted: 08/04/2026 16:53:17
As far as what's acceptable in editing a photo, I believe is a personal decision and you also have to consider the image's purpose. Such as competition, relay a feeling or document an event. In answer to your question the essence of Little Boy with Hula-Hoop was kinda changed. The distractions heightened the boy's intense focus on the woman.
In looking for your AI edits, I see you removed the chair. I noticed that the boy's legs are different textures and sizes. Overall fantastic editing job. Love the photo.
Posted: 08/04/2026 16:53:17
Thanks for your input Yvonne.
AI did an imperfect job of removing the chair in front of the little boy but the vast majority of people viewing the photo won't notice. I think it's a much stronger image without the chair.
I wouldn't enter this photo in a photo contest since I don't have a model release for the little boy and the AI manipulation would probably violate the rules anyway. Posted: 08/04/2026 18:17:24
AI did an imperfect job of removing the chair in front of the little boy but the vast majority of people viewing the photo won't notice. I think it's a much stronger image without the chair.
I wouldn't enter this photo in a photo contest since I don't have a model release for the little boy and the AI manipulation would probably violate the rules anyway. Posted: 08/04/2026 18:17:24
I agree that the chair is a distraction. Posted: 08/11/2026 15:24:57
Hi Bruce,
You did an incredible job removing all the distractions. Monochrome works well with street photography. Good tonal variation throughout. The little boy is the star with his wondrous expression as he looks up at the woman with the hula hoop. Nicely exposed with sharp details. You carved out a good story from the original image. The hula hoop was one of my favorites as a child. Posted: 08/08/2026 16:59:16
You did an incredible job removing all the distractions. Monochrome works well with street photography. Good tonal variation throughout. The little boy is the star with his wondrous expression as he looks up at the woman with the hula hoop. Nicely exposed with sharp details. You carved out a good story from the original image. The hula hoop was one of my favorites as a child. Posted: 08/08/2026 16:59:16
Thanks Barbara ... Post processing is figuring out what the essence of the photo is and removing anything that detracts from it. That is of course, just my opinion. Street photography of people is largely a matter of luck since it's all about fleeting moments in life. As Yvonne said, the little boy's expression is priceless. If I press the shutter button five seconds earlier or later, I don't capture his look. Posted: 08/08/2026 18:01:04
Bruce, A picture that immediately makes me smile. The child's expression is captured so wonderfully that I can almost read his thoughts.
The story you tell with your picture seems banal at first glance, but there's so much more to it. Is the woman with the hula hoop trying to impress others (she has a spectator in the larger photo), or is she genuinely enjoying herself, and the boy is simply looking at her at that moment? Is
she swinging the hoop to the rhythm of music (it is a music festival, after all)?
The boy is already poised to give it a spin, but he's about to realize that he won't be very successful.
My imagination is running wild...
I like that you made the best of the original. The focus on the two people and the conversion to black and white underscore your intention.
With the help of AI, you were able to optimize your image. The chair and other distracting objects have been removed, and it has partially replaced the child's legs and trousers quite well.
The question of using AI in photography isn't so easy for me to answer.
You've achieved your goal; without AI, that wouldn't have been possible. That's fine with me, as it also demonstrates your expertise in photo editing. Posted: 08/08/2026 19:31:32
The story you tell with your picture seems banal at first glance, but there's so much more to it. Is the woman with the hula hoop trying to impress others (she has a spectator in the larger photo), or is she genuinely enjoying herself, and the boy is simply looking at her at that moment? Is
she swinging the hoop to the rhythm of music (it is a music festival, after all)?
The boy is already poised to give it a spin, but he's about to realize that he won't be very successful.
My imagination is running wild...
I like that you made the best of the original. The focus on the two people and the conversion to black and white underscore your intention.
With the help of AI, you were able to optimize your image. The chair and other distracting objects have been removed, and it has partially replaced the child's legs and trousers quite well.
The question of using AI in photography isn't so easy for me to answer.
You've achieved your goal; without AI, that wouldn't have been possible. That's fine with me, as it also demonstrates your expertise in photo editing. Posted: 08/08/2026 19:31:32
Thank you for the feedback Sabine.
As it becomes harder for me to hike up rivers to shoot waterfalls, or trudge up mountains to take landscape photos, I'm turning more to street photography. I'm discovering that it's a more challenging learning curve than I imagined since a lot of what's interesting and photogenic in a street photo is constantly changing. As it is with wildlife photography, luck and timing are far more important than they are in landscape or portrait photography. The little boy's expression was a pure stroke of luck.
Those of you who don't do much post-processing are missing out on the creative, fun part. The sense of accomplishment that I get from taking a marginal, chaotic original and turning it into a work of art is why I do this.
AI is a game changer but the underlying principles of photography are still the same. Posted: 08/09/2026 16:05:45
As it becomes harder for me to hike up rivers to shoot waterfalls, or trudge up mountains to take landscape photos, I'm turning more to street photography. I'm discovering that it's a more challenging learning curve than I imagined since a lot of what's interesting and photogenic in a street photo is constantly changing. As it is with wildlife photography, luck and timing are far more important than they are in landscape or portrait photography. The little boy's expression was a pure stroke of luck.
Those of you who don't do much post-processing are missing out on the creative, fun part. The sense of accomplishment that I get from taking a marginal, chaotic original and turning it into a work of art is why I do this.
AI is a game changer but the underlying principles of photography are still the same. Posted: 08/09/2026 16:05:45
Bruce, I can imagine that throughout a photographer's career, one constantly seeks out different challenges for various reasons. I often work on projects; for example, I've started with ice photography, which involves freezing flowers and blossoms and photographing them. Street photography isn't for me; there's a lack of suitable subjects around me.
Image editing, not just to improve a good photo but also to create art, is important and enjoyable. I agree with you there. Posted: 08/10/2026 19:35:01
Image editing, not just to improve a good photo but also to create art, is important and enjoyable. I agree with you there. Posted: 08/10/2026 19:35:01
Bruce,
You took a snapshot and turned it into a thoughtful photograph. I think making it black and white was perfect.
I too LOVE the boy's expression.
The question of AI is a good one. With every new release of LR and PS (as well as other software) I feel like the line gets more and more blurred.
I have been more into editing - not necessarily to create a more realistic photo, but to create an image with the vibe I want to convey. I'm not using ai, just many, many masks. I am just beginning this journey. For our club monthly photo competition the rule is that every part of the photo has to be taken by you. If you do a sky replacement as long as you replace it with a sky that you took, ok. I will be removing some distractions from my pet photo for the contest.
For me, I feel like at this point I will never be well traveled or patient enough to capture that amazing wildlife shot, the sports shot taken at exactly the right moment, or the one-in-a-million street photograph that happens only when you're in the perfect place at the perfect time.
I'm ok with that.
Instead I want to learn more about editing and explore what it means to be a photo artist. Make images that while not an artifact of reality they instead speak to the heart of the subject. Do with editing what was once only able to be done in a studio with lots of different lighting.
But I do only want to use only images I have taken. I do not want to ask Firefly to create something for me in the photo or add clip art or stock photos. Posted: 08/10/2026 20:21:49
You took a snapshot and turned it into a thoughtful photograph. I think making it black and white was perfect.
I too LOVE the boy's expression.
The question of AI is a good one. With every new release of LR and PS (as well as other software) I feel like the line gets more and more blurred.
I have been more into editing - not necessarily to create a more realistic photo, but to create an image with the vibe I want to convey. I'm not using ai, just many, many masks. I am just beginning this journey. For our club monthly photo competition the rule is that every part of the photo has to be taken by you. If you do a sky replacement as long as you replace it with a sky that you took, ok. I will be removing some distractions from my pet photo for the contest.
For me, I feel like at this point I will never be well traveled or patient enough to capture that amazing wildlife shot, the sports shot taken at exactly the right moment, or the one-in-a-million street photograph that happens only when you're in the perfect place at the perfect time.
I'm ok with that.
Instead I want to learn more about editing and explore what it means to be a photo artist. Make images that while not an artifact of reality they instead speak to the heart of the subject. Do with editing what was once only able to be done in a studio with lots of different lighting.
But I do only want to use only images I have taken. I do not want to ask Firefly to create something for me in the photo or add clip art or stock photos. Posted: 08/10/2026 20:21:49
I deleted all the skies that came with Photoshop and replaced them with my own skies. I feel that using someone else's sky photo is dishonest. Consequently, I'm always looking for interesting sky shots to add to the collection. Posted: 08/10/2026 22:57:44
same! Posted: 08/10/2026 22:58:50
Sylvia, Well stated ... "exploring what it means to be a photo artist". In this digital age it's quite a journey to find a technique to make your own. I'm on the same path and gaining inspiration and tips from our group. Posted: 08/12/2026 00:21:08
I have loved the discourse around this photo and AI. One of my nerdiest passions is Crosswords and puzzles (I covet my NYTImes Gold Star streak!). In those comment boards people often raise the issue of using online help and hints. An oft mention quote by the second puzzle editor, Will Weng, is: "It's your puzzle, and you can do it any way you please." I feel that way, rules and contests withstanding, about the images we take.
That said, the photo is totally charming. I like the comments thus far and would add in addition to capturing the boy's expression you also manage to get the hoop in zero gravity! It's in contact with nothing -- just floating! Posted: 08/10/2026 21:11:10
That said, the photo is totally charming. I like the comments thus far and would add in addition to capturing the boy's expression you also manage to get the hoop in zero gravity! It's in contact with nothing -- just floating! Posted: 08/10/2026 21:11:10
Douglas... I honestly never noticed the fact that the woman's hula hoop is suspended in the air. Just one more lucky moment in time. Posted: 08/10/2026 22:59:47
Bruce, you did a very good job of cleaning up the distractions in your original image to put the focus on the woman and boy. They have an interesting dynamic going on. I have yet to engage with AI in my photography (or anywhere, really), but I can see its usefulness in some situations. Nice job. Posted: 08/15/2026 20:55:52
Knowing what I can do with AI, changes the way I view a scene. Say there's a truck right in the middle of an otherwise great shot. In the past I wouldn't take the shot but I know the truck is easy to remove with AI, so I now I do take the shot. Posted: 08/16/2026 15:58:04