Three-Toed

Horizontal

With this photo I tried to emphasize the amazing claws of the three-toed sloth. She was making her way through a palm (which was my first time seeing this species climb one) and the rigid leaves made it hard work so she spent a lot of time trying to work her claws into the gaps between the leaves. Thankfully she (and her baby) made it across the palm towards an easier tree to climb.

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Two crops (one vertical and the other horizontal) and I am sort of oscillating between the two though I might have a slight preference for the vertical.

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Beautiful visual design Dvir especially the vertical composition. Really well done. The claws of the sloth was a nice surprise and adds an element of haiku. That is to say the eye is drawn to the main subject and then the secondary subject is slowly revealed. Great job!

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I like this. Drawn to the horizontal orientation; not sure why.

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Both are simply WAY cool!! Don’t make me choose!

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I agree, don’t make me choose. I’ve never seen a sloth photo like this either, and if you say these palm leaves are difficult for them, I understand why. Both work well and for a more “of a piece” image, the vertical does that well since it has less detail for me to scrutinize. The horizontal makes me wonder at those claws and the overall texture of the different parts of the palm. Both are effective in what they do. Super catch of something I’ve never seen before.

Very, very cool image! Love the geometry and the very subtly way the sloth is shown.
As for the crop: I’m thinking horizontal because I think the lower quarter of the vertical doesn’t really add anything to the image, but in horizontal I like that the horizontal leaves have a bit more space to be counterweight to the stem and the sloth.
I was torn between both orientations, slightly leaning towards the horizontal from the beginning, but the longer I look at them, the more I like the horizontal.
Overall great photograph.

Thank you for your thoughts @Alfredo_Mora ! I wholly agree that the claws are rather subtle and probably not the first thing most viewers will notice but they sort of come into play as you spend more time looking at the image.

Thank you for thoughts @Ronald_Murphy !

Thank you @Diane_Miller! It is a hard choice I agree and I guess both have their merit and as @_Kris says, the vertical has less texture as it is a bit farther away and so has less elements to consider while the horizontal’s tighter framing and more detailed leaves mean your eyes sort of wander around a bit more looking at the details.

Thank you @holgermischke! I certainly understand your leaning towards the horizontal. It is probably a bit more engaging as it is closer and has more details as well as a bit more balance perhaps.

I prefer the vertical - the horizontal showed me more quickly the small details of the sloth’s body.

But if you’re really into sloths…