Graham in Waddesdon Gardens photo: Malcolm Aslett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like the idea of this strip effect to left and right of Graham's head. Those are the bird cages of the aviary behind and their pleasant shapes create a smooth read from right to left (or vice versa) with a bit of punctuation from the urn with flowers and the smaller figures. The variation in colour and tone isn't too bad from part to part and this could be redone seamlessly with a bit of work. That is the big question for these irregulars. How much does it help - if at all - an image to be broken up in this way? My own view is that it depends first of all on what kind of mood you are in when doing it. Secondly it depends on what pictures you have to work with. There are circumstances when it can be perceived as appropriate. The final say should be the amount of pleasure derived from seeing the image in a particular state.

If you have read all of the comments in this section you may have noticed disatisfaction over several of the images. I tried this method for a while mostly because I was doing so many and it was a convenient way of getting through them all. Quantity over quality but I convinced myself it was valid. Nowadays I've returned to respecting more the need for the pathway that the eye wishes to follow through a picture. Broken frames have their uses I'm sure. Diversity is the name of the game. Still, I'm tempted to redo many of these joiners. The advantage of digital manipulation is you don't lose that first version. I don't know what you think about it all.