Photography Composition: A Swimmer's Eye

Subject/Background
I took this shot as I was getting ready for my lap swimming class. The color of the lock really caught my attention so I wanted to make it the subject and focus of the photo. I used the rule of thirds to draw the viewer's eye to the lock. I put my subject on the right side closer to the top. I focused my lens on the lock so it was in focused in comparison to the other locks and swim suits. I also feel like changing the contrast and colors in Photoshop really helped my subject pop! 

Photoshop:  I used the magnetic lasso tool to highlight the lock and brighten the color red so it really popped. Then I put the rest of the photo in black and white. I also deleted a paper that was tapped to the locker to clean up the shot by using the spot healing brush and the clone stamp.

Balance
I snapped this selfie right after I got out of the pool. I took this photo while keeping balance in mind. The line of lockers create a nice symmetry. By sitting on the bench in the middle of the photo, I make a dividing line between the symmetrical line of lockers, which creates a good balance both vertically and horizontally. 

Photoshop: I changed the saturation to make the colors a bit deeper. The bright lights in the locker room kind of whited everything out. I also tweaked the vibrancy and the brightness/contrast. I used the blurring tilt tool to create a focus on the center, blurring the lockers around me, and creating a tunnel vision of sorts.

Point of View

I took this photo right before I got in the pool. It's the view that a swimmer has when they are getting ready to push off of the wall. One would not see this point of view by looking down at the lane lines or from underwater. You have to be directly horizontal with them. A view like this always gets my heart racing because it reminds me of competitive swimming days.

Photoshop: I changed the coloration on this photo quite a bit. It originally was muted because of the lights in the pool area so I brightened and deepened the colors so the water and the lane line would pop a bit more. I also took out the diving boards in the background and cropped it. I also blurred the outside of the picture to create a sharper focus on the lane line and water in front of the viewer's eye.