This was actually shot a couple of weeks ago during that
trip to San Fran. But I'm only getting around to starting
to process those images, so I'm putting it here (So shoot
me -- some weeks I use my camera, and some weeks I only
just work on what I earlier shot... those of you who have
a backlog of images to process I'm sure can empathize).

Anyway, as I was reviewing my San Fran images, I'd shot
three or four frames in this elevator, but no single
one of them seemed to most fully conveying the sense
of craziness of those moments I was hoping it might.

However, by taking bits and pieces from several
of those frames, it seems to me the final image
above here better conveys that sense of silliness
we were having in that brief ride than any singular
frame did.

Now this isn't the first time I've put bits and pieces
of difference image frames together, particularly
if I'm of the mind that somewhat of a composite
will overall better communicate what I'm trying
to get across to the viewer.

And while I'm a big advocate of the idea of
"kill the clutter," this is not to imply (as
folks sometime assume when I mention this phrase),
that I'm only of the mind that only images of
simply design are good. Nothing could be further
from the truth.

To me, good images might be of either simple or
complex design. But the goal in both cases is compose
elements which might harmoniously together towards
a singular visual statement, while at the same time
making best efforts to eliminate (or at least minimize)
those elements of a scene which might otherwise distract
the viewer's attention from what we most want them to see.

Although the finished image above is not necessarily
a picture of simplest design, it was still my hope
that: (1) all the elements there would have the viewer's
eye wandering around the different parts of the image,
and; (2) all of these different parts might collectively
work together to visually communicate as a whole, to
convey that sense of fun chaos we were having shooting
pictures of each other there in that elevator.

In any event, if nothing else, hopefully this image
will illustrate that while I'm a strong advocate for
the idea of "kill the clutter", this doesn't mean I'm
of the mind that only simply design images are good.

Rather, even for images of more complex design --
indeed perhaps particularly for images we dare to
undertake more complex design -- that we make best
efforts to make sure all the elements of our picture
work towards communicating a visually unified whole,
and nothing in there too much distracts the viewer's
attention from what we are most trying to convey or
show them.

-- CJ