Cruddlies! A Cropping Conundrum...

[Horoscope Fish]

I like this shot... I like it a lot actually. I've been working with "negative space" lately and finding it an immensely powerful compositional tool and this photo is an appeal the minimalistic. I was thinking of cropping it along the right edge, maybe an inch or so... The attachment shows my thought process regarding the crop but my cropping skill's are the weaksauce...

Thought's? Suggestions? Cash donations?


...

 

[BackdoorArts]

When in doubt go rule of thirds and stick that boat on the line of the right 1/3 quadrant and crop from the upper left until you get the clouds forming the boundary for the bottom third (ignore the stuff you scribbled - you want that there).

 

[Don Kuykendall_RIP]

I think it will look good with your crop suggestion.


Here's a dollar for you

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Here's a dollar for you.

Thank you... And I want you to know I fully intend to spend it ALL in once place.

When in doubt go rule of thirds and stick that boat on the line of the right 1/3 quadrant and crop from the upper left until you get the clouds forming the boundary for the bottom third (ignore the stuff you scribbled - you want that there).

Like so?

 

[Dave_W]

I recognize that evil marine layer...


Nice comp even with the plague-like marine layer

 

[Dave_W]

Also, for reasons I don't quite understand, turning images into a panorama-like image seems to enhance the minimalist aspect of a composition. Try shaving off some of the top and bottom but leave the center width the same and at least to my eye it seems to bring out the lonely feel of your subject relative to the background. Or at least to me it does.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

I recognize that evil marine layer...
Nice comp even with the plague-like marine layer

Thank you. That's Windansea Beach, btw, Sunday afternoon. I really want go back and do some night shooting on that beach and in La Jolla in general.

Also, for reasons I don't quite understand, turning images into a panorama-like image seems to enhance the minimalist aspect of a composition. Try shaving off some of the top and bottom but leave the center width the same and at least to my eye it seems to bring out the lonely feel of your subject relative to the background. Or at least to me it does.

I know what you mean about the panorama crops working with simple compositions... Is it because of your eye doing those long sweeeeeeeps over all that negative space, maybe?

I did take a smidgen off the bottom in this crop and a smidgen off the right edge (to keep the boat on the 1/3 line as BDH suggested), and yeah...I'm really diggin' the look of this last crop. It would not have occurred to me to take anything off the bottom edge because it was looking razor-thin already but damn... It works here!

Thanks for the input, guys!

 

[jpragsdale]

Here's my 2 cents...



​I like it better without the crop. With the crop the boat seems to close to the edge of the frame and makes it feel off balance.

 

[jpragsdale]

Although I do like the panorama shot

 

[Pic4me]

Nice! do have a shot with more water?

 

[MinnBen]

Nice picture. Sometimes I feel we overthink these things, but your final product is excellent.

 

[Kodiak]

One thing about negative space…

It's a tool, not a condition. Your shot, the way it is (without the crop) is just
perfect. The asset of negative space will reveal its full value and realize its
whole potential when the shot will be integrated in a layout. Then, and only
then, should it be contemplated to play with it, as an other element of an
entire concept including the photograph, typography and design.

Anything done prior to such approach may only be destructive…

A very cool take you got there!

Have a good time!

 

[Billy Y.]

When I was in photo school, for the first 2 months it was mandatory that we set up every shot with a tripod. The idea was that you would spend more time thinking about the composition before you took the photo. The problem with "high ISO performance, fast lenses with VR, and unlimited cropping on the computer" is you can hand hold a lot of shots and click before your really think it through. I find myself doing it all the time now, which used to annoy me (plus it was a lot more difficult to crop your negative).
My point is, it seems like you put time into composing the shot in the first place, don't over think it in the digital darkroom - I agree with Kodiak, the original shot is very nice