To Crop or Not To Crop?

[coachgns]

I liked the way the sun glare came through in this picture, but the big open space on the left side bothered me. So I cropped it out - it seems doing that causes the pcture to lose something - the feeling of a bright sunny day.

Opinions?

[Chunk]

I prefer the square crop. On the full frame my eye got over to the left and found nothing so the picture felt like it had no subject. In the crop the eye moves up the trunk, down that branch to the sun, back over to the trunk. Better composition IMHO.

[julsoph]

I like the closer crop as well...my preference would be to crop it even more on the left...but as it is is nice regardless.
Emily

[coachgns]

Agreed that the square crop is better.

But - having been a person who has taken "snapshots" most of his life, I am only now learning about Composition. If you don't mind, could you explain why cropping a little more from the left would be better. What does that add/subtract?

Thanks so much

[readingr]

Square crop for me gives me a bigger feeling and proportions the canopy and the tree trunk.

[julsoph]

Agreed that the square crop is better.

But - having been a person who has taken "snapshots" most of his life, I am only now learning about Composition. If you don't mind, could you explain why cropping a little more from the left would be better. What does that add/subtract?

Thanks so much

Hmmm...I'm not sure I can really explain it...I just moved things on my screen so I could see how it would look, and liked it better cropped a little bit more. Like I said, it's just a personal preference thing. Others like the square effect even better, so I would get a few more comments on it, you know? See what the general consensus seems to be.
Emily

[GB1]

I liked the way the sun glare came through in this picture, but the big open space on the left side bothered me. So I cropped it out - it seems doing that causes the pcture to lose something - the feeling of a bright sunny day.

Opinions?

I prefer the crop. Not to be too a-retentive, but I think if it is a perfect square that it would be more geometrically pleasing to the eye. I did another quick cropping of the orig. What do you think, any difference?