asking for crop suggestions

[Janko Belaj]

So, now I have a new wall for some print to hang on it. I have finished my work on one scan and now I can't decide which one to print... The first one (A) is in its (almost) original proportions. I like it, but now I'm sad that rain started and that I didn't had time to make better composition (to raise a camera just a little bit up to have a more of mountain's wall shown behind it) and better focusing (the first flowers are slightly out of focus). Well, what I have is what I can print. Scan is large, wall is large and photos are here:

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/drvenjaca1fA.jpg
Crop A: original, could be printed as 70x95cm

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/drvenjaca1fB.jpg
Crop B: cut off small bottom part of picture and little bit on right to get the ruin more out of center, can be printed as 70x100cm

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/drvenjaca1fC.jpg
Crop C: huge crop - intention to get more focus on ruin... But I lost a lot of sky which gives a (lovely?) drama... can be printed as 70x125cm

Tnx for your thoughts :))

[Kino]

I like the original best.

Even the tiny crop of the second example foregrounds the ruin more and, to me, throws off the kind of calm resignation of the ruin.

The 70 x 125 cm crop looses the dramatic cloud formation that the roof directs my eye to see.

The original seems to form a triangle; the ruin grabs your eye, the root sends it to the cloud formation and then it drops down to the basin in the mountains; then back to the ruin.

Cropping seems to make it more dynamic and closer to the viewer.

My 2 centavos...

frank

[Ron Marshall]

I also like the original best; all of the elements of the composition seem to balance well, clouds, ruin, mountains and foreground.

Very nice work!

[wfwhitaker]

Soybeans and corn are always popular. Other cash crops come to mind, but I'd rather stay on this side of the law.

Oh, and the photo...
The last one has fewer distracting elements. Works for me.

[jetcode]

I like all 3 because they each have a different characteristic. If in fact you did not have such draw with the ruin then it might matter a whole lot more then it does to me.

I do think the 1st one really tells the story of the ruin and the land better then the other 2.

I like them all.


Joe

[Walter Calahan]

All three are great, but I like #2 the best.

There you go, everyone has a different opinion. Aren't you glad you asked. Grin.

[Doug Dolde]

I'd leave it as is.

[Bill_1856]

(IMHO) Most images can be improved by a little judicious cropping, but if it's not clear how to do it, then leave it alone.

[Chris Strobel]

Brilliant shot.All 3 work for me.I'd keep the aspect ratio the same as others in the series if applicable.Would you mind sharing the technical details of the shot?

[Steven Barall]

Crop A The Original

[D. Bryant]

So, now I have a new wall for some print to hang on it. I have finished my work on one scan and now I can't decide which one to print... The first one (A) is in its (almost) original proportions. I like it, but now I'm sad that rain started and that I didn't had time to make better composition (to raise a camera just a little bit up to have a more of mountain's wall shown behind it) and better focusing (the first flowers are slightly out of focus). Well, what I have is what I can print. Scan is large, wall is large and photos are here:

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/drvenjaca1fA.jpg
Crop A: original, could be printed as 70x95cm

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/drvenjaca1fB.jpg
Crop B: cut off small bottom part of picture and little bit on right to get the ruin more out of center, can be printed as 70x100cm

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/drvenjaca1fC.jpg
Crop C: huge crop - intention to get more focus on ruin... But I lost a lot of sky which gives a (lovely?) drama... can be printed as 70x125cm

Tnx for your thoughts :))

#2 is the strongest image IMO.

Don Bryant

[scott_6029]

A. And I would lighted ever so slightly the lower right hand corner and perhaps the upper left had corner ever so slighty. A is better to me because of the lower right hand corner being ligher creates more eye movement in the image and makes it thus more interesting. I would also lighten the 'grass' in the 'middle of the image' below the house and running from left to right. Create more of a layering of tones in the image.

[Capocheny]

Crop B works for me... :)

Nice image(s)

Cheers

[Brian Ellis]

Not C for me, the sky is too important to crop it. A and B are very close but if I had to choose I'd take B, I don't see anything of great interest in the bottom half inch or so of the ground and cropping it places the viewer's attention squarely where it should be, on the three major elements of the photograph. But both are lovely photographs and I wouldn't get into an argument with anyone who prefers A.

[Janko Belaj]

wow... so many answers..! Walter, yes - I'm glad I asked! :) Mostly because the "crew" here is sharing my own opinion (A and B because of sky) while "adding" some more interesting points to the shot I wasn't aware off (importance of more gray shades in grass).
Tnx to all of you! I'm going to made few variations of A and than print some previews as A and B crop...

Chris - you gave me a lot of thinking about technical details... That was year ago and lazy as I am I didn't wrote details. Tachihara for sure, efke 100 9x12cm for sure. Developed in "(Rodinal 1 + (200 (XTol 1+3))"... cold stand development for about one hour in comby tank. But the lens...? Symmar convertible 135 or G-Claron 210... Tnx to the exif, we can compare shots :)

http://www.belaj.com/unsorted/crop/put_9203140.jpg

As I remember, after I have found spot without new houses in background I didn't move much, so 46mm (in leica) on the left, 28mm on the right, and my shot closer to 46 - I think it was Symmar 135mm. With enough DOF it is over f 1:8, and without visible defraction it isn't above f 1:16, but that is close as I can get... I would say "f 11 and half" :)
Scanned on EverSmart Supreme at 3000 dpi giving me about 140 Mpixels... it isn't important data, but is nice to read... 140 M... :D

[eric black]

Id leave it as is- I find my eye playing ping-pong between the building and the lone bush on the left mnore and more as you crop in. The first has a great sky that helps to balance that effect.

[Ken Lee]

Here's a variation, with deepest respect.


http://www.kenleegallery.com/images/forum/xyz.jpg

[seawolf66]

You need to consider the amount of light that the wall will be getting, when choosing a foto to hang on it. If the wall will get a lot of light then go with a darker print, if the wall will only get a minimum of lite go with the lighter print: An easy way to do this is put up three fotos one of each type and haqng the on top of each other ;

# 3 ON TOP , # 1 IN THE MIDDLE AND # 2 ON THE BOTTOM :
And look over them for a few days: Just my thoughts here: Good luck and also nice foto's:

[Janko Belaj]

interesting approach Ken... You did crop a lot, but kept (almost) all "important" details in my shot without loosing places for eye to play in. I do like it... Will play with it later... in meantime there is now small exhibition of my daughters photos :)
(O.T, but couldn't resist - that is she 3 years ago on her 1st assignment on one of my exhibitions :)
http://belaj.com/unsorted/jana_06_2004.jpg

Lauren, ambient light in that particular room is changing depending who is in... my wife like bright light, I like dimmed, and our daughter doesn't care as long as she can play in ;)

[Kirk Gittings]

Wheat alternated with barley.

Otherwise I'd leave it as it is. Give it room, the space is important.

[Rob Champagne]

I'd crop similarly to Ken but ultimately it should be your own vision of what you saw and how YOU want to represent it that counts.
I do like playing about with other peoples images to see what interpretation I can make of them. Nice subject matter to play around with in this case.
6091

[Ken Lee]

When cropped wide, the image feels like a panorama shot of mountains and sky, with a lovely old building in the scene. When cropped closely, it feels like the subject is a lovely old building, with mountains in the distance and sky above.

I took the second approach, and performed some adjustments to bring out the drama in the lighting.

[Janko Belaj]

so, here is my final version (http://fotozine.org/index.php?knjiga=galerije&poglavlje=1&list=69&element=98321)... tnx for all sugestions. (can't link the photo itself - site uses hotlink prevention, link with text "originalnoj veličini 1200 x 879 piksela" will open larger picture) ... (and me while preparing to set up that shot (http://fotozine.org/index.php?knjiga=galerije&poglavlje=461&list=8451&element=98348):)