Holding still

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” ~ Dorothea Lange

Thursday has always been thrown back Thursday on my blog during February Photofest and I see absolutely no reason to change that so for the next 4 Thursdays I will be sharing an image here that is a new edited of one that was previously posted on my blog.

When it comes to do this I always spend a bit of time looking back through images I have taken trying to find some that I feel have potential for re-editing. Sometimes they jump out at me and other times it takes a few goes before I find the right one. This one jumped out at me because I love the original so much and that is always a challenge because it can be hard to make any edits that I think change it a way that either makes it better or different enough to warrant sharing.

I tried a few different versions but in the end I went for this more grainy black and white edit. It is a fairly simple change but I actually think it changes the image dramatically. In the original the light and colours give the shot depth but in this edit I feel that all the focus is on me. Your eye is guided straight to the centre of the shot. I really like how it gives my hair texture and how the shaft of life seems to be pointing between my legs.

Oddly this is an image that a few years ago I probably wouldn’t have shared as I would have hated how my tummy looked but now I love this shot. I think I am embracing my more curvaceous frame more and more as time goes on.

So which do you like best? The original, shared below, or the edit which is posted above. To be honest my answer is both although maybe the original still had the edge. I just love the colours and warmth in that version but I think the black and white is really striking.