Right now, I am editing photos from last night’s lifestyle shoot. An image that intrigues me is of a reflection in a pool. I can’t stop looking at it.
I would love for you to weigh in on the 2 “After” images. Take a look…
BEFORE (straight-out-of-the-camera)
AFTER, version A
I oomphed the color and contrast, “dodged” (lightened) parts of my subjects, then flipped the image upside-down!
AFTER, version B
Same as above, but cropped out the bottom, so all you see is the reflection in the pool.
Which do you prefer: Version A or Version B?
My thought process:
I took the shot to include the actual subjects’ legs, so that it would be obvious the image is a reflection.
Once I started editing the image, I realized that I preferred the image upside-down, so the reflection looks right-side-up!
The more I looked at it, the more I love the image. Except now, I’m not sure if I like the legs at the bottom. With the bottom cropped out, it looks like you’re looking through a window — or maybe through a big hole in the ground (ha ha). You only realize it’s a reflection when you see the random leaves and stuff floating in the “sky”! The image becomes more of an illusion when cropped.
Not sure if I prefer the image to look like an illusion, or if I’d rather it be an obvious reflection.
Please weigh in. I’d love to know your thoughts!