Before digital scrapbooking, my only definition for the word crop, had to do with food. Photography has broaden my horizons in so many ways but maybe the crop tool has made the biggest impact even beyond the simple act of refining a photo.
I have spent the week sorting thru the kid's photo. Editing and proofing are as much fun for me as shooting, sometimes even more. It takes even more time when you have a black background - just like most things black, lots of thing stick to it and you notice it much more. Lots of cloning white spots out and sharpening the black areas. Lots of work but oh so worth it.
I got the Christmas cards and the book done on Saturday. With my Blurb book uploaded and Costco printing the cutest Christmas cards, I was free to play a bit. The thing about cropping a photo is, it is a journey. While it seems like a simple task, to me it is a challenge. There is no right or wrong way, the secret is to find the perfect crop for you. That is where the creative part of you kicks into high gear. While the photo of Miss M is gorgeous on it own, after playing with a few crops - I settled on this one because it took my breath away. A few hours later, I had another order to upload to Costco and now I am staring at an 11 x 14 of one of my favorite photos ever.
I woke up this morning wondering if cropping could work in Real Life with the same results? How much of my life looks good, really good but with a bit of cropping - could be better? When you crop a photo is is not jsut about taking something out but about shifting your attention elsewhere. A whole new outlook, a whole new view - a whole new reality.
Where do I need to focus?
What unnecessary space am I carrying around?
If I did a personal crop, how would it change my life?
This week of Thanksgiving seems a great time to take a closer look. See if cropping my life might not be a good thing, not Something to be feared. What could I do without? What am I missing because I need to look closer? I know who has the answers or the Real crop tool, as it were. A great lesson for me personally. Everytime I look at the face, I am reminded that there are Lessons all around us. What a way to live!
