Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
In the larger version there is a dark matt of bacteria creeping in from the right side as well as some bluish puddles up near the top left corner. Do these negatively impact the composition when compared to the tighter crop?
The bottom portion of the larger image has some things that I find I miss in the cropped image, like the crab like claw coming out of the bottom right portion of the frame and also those round blobs in the lower left corner.
Which image do you prefer and why? Are there things that I’ve missed?
Other Information
Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.
Image Description
Another image from my recent Yellowstone Fall colors trip. This was taken in the Norris Geyser basin, my absolute favorite part of the park for making abstract images of bacteria matts and the like.
David, both of these are gorgeous. The colours as well as the textures are outstanding in both. I know how you feel, though. We love certain details of a picture and just can’t bear to let them go - the extended claw in the wider shot being an example. But it’s important to remember that the reader is only going to see what you show them. They won’t know what is “missing”. Personally, I feel the cropped version is far superior. It is, for me at least, better balanced with a stronger sene of presence while at the same time retaining all the important attributes of colour and texture that drew you to take the picture in the first place. A fabulous abstract.
David, the bacterial mats in YNP make for excellent abstracts and both of these views work well. As presented the cropped version feels more dynamic, as the central channel pulls my eyes up through the frame. Something to try with the wider view is to dodge the lighter tones along the top and left to better match the luminosity of the lower 2/3 rds.
I definitely prefer the wider view at my first viewing. Let’s see if it remains so. I would have a hard time saying why that one appeals to me more than the other. Oh, I could analyze it and give an answer. But the analytical process itself would affect my impression of the image. So it’s best to say what is and not why it is.
Wow, these are excellent. The color is so vibrant! I prefer the tighter crop as it feels more balanced. I believe it’s because of the ratio of blues to oranges. In the wider crop, the orange overwhelms the blue making the frame feel unduly heavy towards the lower right. I tried lightening up the blue areas, but that didn’t work. Even though the tighter crop still has more orange, I think the way the blues are scattered about the frame balances it better.
But isn’t our aim here to give folks critique? If we just say yea or nay, that isn’t helpful, IMO. At least it’s not for me - I want to know why.
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Both are fantastic compositions. The top one has a nicer color contrast balance, by that I mean the blues in the ULC balance out the yellows nicely. The wider crop has much more in the way of features and details to explore. Now at the same time, the tighter crop has much cleaner lines and the eye has a defined way to move around the frame. I’m not sure which I like best.
Yes, of course you’re right. I was thinking about how I approach an image. I find that when I think about it I put boundaries on it.
Regarding how an image should be critiqued: I have modified my opinion over the years. Nowdays I think 2 things are paramount in an image.
What is it trying to say.
How well does it say what it’s trying to say.
The rest isn’t art but craftsmanship. Things that draw the attention at the borders or dust spots. These are valuable to know but are of little consequence. As a result my critiques are shorter and address what I think is important. BTW, it’s been 8 hours now and I’m starting to like the tighter image more. Now it’s more of a tossup in terms of preference even though they are quite different. That’s how it goes for me. Yes, a case could be made for the tighter image. Who knows? Perhaps the fact that the upper image appeared first on the screen could have affected my reaction to it. When I look at the smaller version of both images I like the first but when I blow it up then the second is better. I think that the minute detail is important in the second and you see it better blown up.
David, both images are great. Tough to pick a preference. I like the wider and more expansive view of the first image which lets the “tentacles” more room to search and explore. The tighter crop is more in your face and detailed. But I’m not sure detail is all that important in an image like this. It’s more about colors and shapes. The colors seem stronger in the second because of the closer crop and they’re larger in the frame. In the end, I agree with @Bonnie_Lampley about the balance, which is why I lean toward the cropped one. Tough choice as I love them both.
Hi David, I really love what you have captured here. The first one is my favorite, I feel it has the best flow and movement, just a feast of detail for the eye to explore. To me they look like close ups of the brushwork of impressionist painters like Monet or Renoir. The color pallet is rich and wonderful with such complementary orange and teal tones. Brilliantly seen and processed.
Hi David,
You are making it tough to pick a favorite as both of these are exquisite! After toggling back and forth several times I am leaning toward the wider view as it has so many wonderful colors and shapes for the viewer to savor and enjoy. I also love the implied motion in this intimate landscape. Bottom line is both are winners IMO.
Thanks @Kerry_Gordon, @Mark_Seaver, @Igor_Doncov, @Tom_Nevesely, @Bonnie_Lampley, @Youssef_Ismail, @Michael_Lowe, @guy, @Ed_Lowe for your comments and suggestions.
It seems that there is no consensus for which one you all like. That has been my whole problem. I totally agree with most that the cropped version is much more balanced and I cropped in because I wanted a better balanced image. But I also miss the whole bottom third of the image and its flame like patterns down there along with the greenish wash that extends down to the left corner of the image. In the end, I like both of them for different reasons but I was wondering if there was a clear choice amongst all of you and it turns out there probably isn’t which is great too. Thanks again for all of your comments.
This doesn’t happen often, but I’m lost for words. Truly a “next level” image, @David_Haynes. I’ve stared at it for quite some time and I can’t help but think it has a bit of an impressionist feel to it. Absolutely gorgeous!
Wow, that is so “shiny” and colorful. If I saw this with no supporting information, like which website it’s posted on, I truly would have thought it was a cool metallic painting. But to know it is an image of nature, it evokes an awe about how wild and wonderful nature can be.
I strongly prefer the first image. Probably in part because I like 2:3, but also because I think the matching upper corners provides a natural vignette. (Plus what you mentioned about the bottom.)
Thanks for your thoughts, John. Yep, it’s definitely shiny and colorful. It’s crazy what nature dishes out in the Yellowstone thermal areas. I go to Yellowstone every year. I just love it. I need to go in winter though.
Anyway, I’m glad you were able to choose one over the other. I have gone back and forth on which one I like best and really, I suppose it doesn’t matter but I did want to know what the members thought and it has been split pretty even. Thanks again for your feedback, John.
After toggling back and forth several times I am leaning toward the wider view as it has so many wonderful colors and shapes for the viewer to savor and enjoy. I also love the implied motion in this intimate landscape. Bottom line is both are winners IMO.