Which mountain composition do you prefer?

[nimo956]

I took a recent trip to the White Mountains, and I'm wondering if you could give your opinion about which composition you prefer of the same subject.

The first picture is from my 4x5 camera. I took a quick picture of the negative for viewing purposes so it isn't sharp and the colors are off, but I'm only concerned right now with the shape of the composition. I used a 250mm lens, so the image is tighter (a lesson for the future to shoot wide and crop later).

The second picture is from my iPhone and I cropped it a bit wider.

I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to make a large print of the 4x5 picture (at least 24x30), so give me your opinions.

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Edit: Here is the full unedited scene from the iPhone:

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[sun of sand]

I actually like the first washed out one better
Don't like how the cloud sits atop the peak in the other
And the pallid sickly color works better for it I thin

[RSalles]

#3 shot. The eye can "walk" over the mountain, like more this one,

Cheers,

Renato

[John Kasaian]

I like that bit of horizon peaking over the ridge---it provides a little depth.

[Paul Metcalf]

Two planes versus three maybe four, your choice

[David Schaller]

I like the wider view as well. Is that Lafayette from Lincoln?

[nimo956]

It is Mt. Lafayette from Little Haystack.

[Old_Dick]

#3, nice shot of the Franconia Ridge.

[aclark]

As it stands, no.1 looks slightly unbalanced to me. Maybe it would work better cropped to a square, by removing some of the left side of the picture....

Alan

[John Layton]

I've hiked the amazing Franconia Ridge Trail many times...and need to comment on something that you may have missed in your image - which is the sinuous, rocky path which follows this ridge between the peaks, and which you might want to incorporate into your Lafayette image to add some interesting foreground as well as a sense of continuity and a human connection.

At any rate...great excuse to go back up there - choose a few spots between Little Haystack and Lafayette to set up and look up and down the ridge. You might also want to try some verticals - which can work really well in images incorporating both the trail and the peaks. Also, assuming that you are hiking towards Lafayette, make sure to look back on the ridge towards Little Haystack, and beyond to Mts. Liberty and Flume.

A slightly easier strategy would be to book a bunk at Greenleaf Hut, run by the Appalachian Mountain Club (check the AMC website), and located on the Old Bridle Path, and about 1000 ft. below the Lafayette summit. This will allow for some great logistics in terms of being at the right place at the right time, plus affording some great opportunities to photograph when the weather is less than "ideal." The cloud formations which often drift over this ridge, especially when thin enough to be illuminated and/or backlit, can be stunning.

In any case, while more folks tend to head up the Falling Waters Trail prior to crossing the ridge to Lafayette and then heading down the Old Bridle Path, I recommend doing this in reverse, being sure to get an early start, which should allow for some time photographing the several great waterfalls (if this is your bag) on the way down Falling Waters.

Years ago, I hiked this ridge by starting up the Old Bridle Path at midnight, with the goal of getting up to the ridge with my 4x5 by sunrise to catch the sidelight falling across the ridge trail details - and got a nice image of this which I will post when I can find it!

[David Schaller]

Right. Of course. Just to add to what John said, another nice hike is to approach Lafayette from the North via the Skoocumchuck Trail. Much less crowded than the trails from the Notch.