photographs (and 2010 icon choice)

[mellowtigger]

Which of these two small images below would make the best choice for my new icon?

I tend to favor the first one for the better color tone, but the second one probably has the better facial expression.

I have a new photo gallery available here.  They are pictures taken during the recent visit by my parents to the Twin Cities.  Here are the photographs.  Click to embiggen.





Although group shots worked out fairly well, all of the attempts to photograph me solo would end up getting overexposed.  Attempts to compensate (with camera settings) caused low exposure of everything else in the image, and compensating (with software) for that issue then caused strange colored skin tones.  I'll leave the analysis to the shutterbugs.

Comments

[mellowtigger]

When I crop the one you created (for more left/right balance that keeps me happy), it has both the expression and color that make for a good icon. :)

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

That looks fine too, one typically crops to the side though because "research shows" that people find off-center images friendlier and more approachable. Seriously. There is a ton of research around this topic, emanating from the world of advertising (there's a surprise, eh?). Dead-center images are perceived as challenging or even threatening by a lot of people. I'm not one of them so I don't get it, but I can't argue with the numbers.

As far as aesthetics goes, you have such a handsome face, and a beautiful smile, it seems a shame not to use both of them to full effect. The only one I would *not* recommend would be the unsmiling one "000ky0fh", the very first one you posted.

[mellowtigger]

I found a Kodak webpage (item # 5) that explained moving the subject off-center. Apparently either vertical or horizontal movement is effective.

My urge to put my nose in the very center of the image is apparently "wrong". *laugh* So much for symmetry. I've made your image my new default.

Unfortunately, I see that doing so has now changed the icon on all of my old posts that had simply used the "default" setting. Not the behavior I expected (or wanted). The old icon is still in my catalog, so I wish the old posts still used that image. :/

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

change your default icon back and load this one as "new default" ?

the thing about centering is pretty accurate

[mellowtigger]

I made the old one the default again, confirmed that old posts reverted to the old picture, deleted the new one, then reimported while selecting "Make this your default userpic".

Livejournal rewrote history again, setting all of my old posts to the new picture. :( Guess I'll have to live with it.

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

yeah thing is you can't make it your default user pic - it doesn't save the image with each post, it just saves a pointer to "default pic" and then uses whatever your default pic de jour happens to be. one would have to leave the default pic as it was, then upload the new image with a different name and NOT use it as the default icon. save it as something else, "New user Pic" or something, then remember to set it to that every time one posts.