Responses to “Which Shot Is Better”

Last week I posted the two shots below and asked, “Which Shot Is Better”?

Shot A:

Shot B:

Normally, responses to questions like this are pretty one-sided but this time they were evenly split in support of both crops.  Here are some comments in support of Shot A:

“I like A with the whole rock.  I thought the background was beautiful.  It gave a look at the surroundings of the duck and motion”.

“My preference is A, because it puts him in context”.

“I like A better but I would edit the blade of grass out”.

In Support of Shot B:

“I like B better and it’s because it doesn’t have the blade of grass in front of the rock which I find distracting.  If that blade of grass hadn’t been there, I would have suggested cropping less of the bottom of the frame in shot B so that we could see the rock face.  However, since it is there, shot B is the best shot as is”.

“My personal preference is the tighter crop [Shot B], but I would position the bird slightly to the right”.

“I like B because I can see the bird better, but it is cool to see the rock in A”.

Crop A was preferred by those who like to see the bird as part of the habitat (although the blades of grass are evidently too much habitat).  Crop B focuses the viewer’s attention on the Mallard.  If these shots were entered in a bird photography contest Shot A would have been rated higher because it does show the bird’s surroundings more.  Keep that in mind when cropping your shots – are you trying to please yourself or an audience? The end result might require a different view.

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