Which Do You Like Best and Why?

[Arthur Morris]

The image here is a two-frame stitched (by hand) composite. (Image/Automate is corrupted in my CS-5.) I did a lot of work to lower the contrast and lose some very bright spots on the Land Iguana. The image was created on South Plaza on my recently concluded Galapagos 15-DAY Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. (See my blog for the daily journal entries and tons of great images.) Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens hand held with the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/8. One-shot AF locked both focus and the EXP for the second frame of the potential pano.

Take a look at the next two panes and let me know which of the three you like best and why.

Don't be shy; all comments welcome.

[Arthur Morris]

Here is my first crop.

[Arthur Morris]

And here is the final, tightest crop. Do let us know which you like best and why.

[Harshad Barve]

Guruji , I am loving last one , Tight crop really shows expressions nicely ,
TFS

[Steve Kaluski]

First one for me Artie, as it puts it all into context, having the whole body and location, I feel the eye is drawn from the head to along the body, going from R to L. Might even come in a fraction more on the rhs?

Like you, I took lots of these, including close-ups to, but just find 2 & 3 to 'in your face' and dare I say, predictable, (sorry). You did say not to be shy. ;)

Saying that, an even closer/tighter POV might be better to highlight the lovely texture of the armor plating and detail within the scales themselves?

Steve :cheers:

[Alfred Forns]

First one Like seeing the entire animal and having it looking left makes it natural (as presented) The first corp has a clipped foot and the third not bad but does not have the feel of the first one.

[Ignacio Yufera]

I prefer the final tight crop. I find that showing more of the iguana doesn't add much to the image really, nor does the BG around it. IMO the strongest point of the shot is the expression and texture of the head, and the last one shows it best.

[Katie Rupp]

Hi Artie,
My preference is the first image which surprised me because I generally go for the head shot. In this case I like the included habitat, and the pano composition has more itimacy, as if the iquana has just twisted/tilted his head to look at the photographer/viewer--perhaps the effect comes from having the whole body in the frame?

[Rachel Hollander]

Artie - I'm going to go against the grain here and say I prefer the middle shot. I like the way the colors pop and that the head is almost coming out of the frame towards you as if the iguana is investigating you. For my personal taste the first doesn't have as much zing and the last is a little scary.

Btw I would have been thrilled to get any of your land iguana shots. Only saw one and it kept its distance and in the shade.

TFS,
Rachel

[Arthur Morris]

First one Like seeing the entire animal and having it looking left makes it natural (as presented) The first corp has a clipped foot and the third not bad but does not have the feel of the first one.

Alfred, What is the "first corp"? What clipped foot? :)

[Arthur Morris]

Rachel Hollander wrote: Artie - I'm going to go against the grain here and say I prefer the middle shot. I like the way the colors pop and that the head is almost coming out of the frame towards you as if the iguana is investigating you. For my personal taste the first doesn't have as much zing and the last is a little scary. Btw I would have been thrilled to get any of your land iguana shots. Only saw one and it kept its distance and in the shade.

Thanks all for your (varied!) opinions. I will share my thoughts here tomorrow evening. Rache, on the Beagle's two week itinerary we see lots of Land Igaunas of various races (each on a different island. South Plaza was over-run with them this year but you need to photograph them well before the sun goes down as they come out to get warm and then disappear :)

[Steve Canuel]

Number 3 for me because of the detail and I like seeing both elbows. With a little head turn towards the middle, number 1 would've been my choice.

[Austin Thomas]

Hi Artie,

I would go with number 1 as it shows the complete subject in the environment. I could live with number 2 as it gives me enough of an indication to the size. I would not choose number 3 as to me eyes that eliminates too much information about the subject and its environment.

tfs

Austin

[Ken Watkins]

A bit late to this, I would go for number 1 as well, simply because the wider approch suits the subject.

[Marc Mol]

I think #1 also, a better perspective here for me. Nice detail & colour, and you did well with the exposure here also Artie.
TFS

[Arthur Morris]

I think #1 also, a better perspective here for me. Nice detail & colour, and you did well with the exposure here also Artie. TFS

Mark, just for the record book, the perspective for all three images is the same as they are each cropped from the originally created stitched pano :)

[Marc Mol]

Mark, just for the record book, the perspective for all three images is the same as they are each cropped from the originally created stitched pano :)

Perspective can also mean a mental view Artie. At least that's what my old English/Arts teacher said.;)
It's the way I view or like the subject.:D

Cheers
Marc

[Gerald Kelberg]

Hi Artie,

Interesting image and challenge. My initial choice was for #1 - I like the composition, but the OOF grasses on the left spoil it for me - sensitive about that at the moment for my own reasons! So my choice goes to #3 - I like the intimacy and the close-up detail. #2 falls between two stools for me - neither the beast in environment nor the intimate close-up.

Best wishes,

Gerald

[Arthur Morris]

Perspective can also mean a mental view Artie. At least that's what my old English/Arts teacher said.;) It's the way I view or like the subject.:D Cheers. Marc

Hi Marc, Your comment here opened my eyes up a bit as I was thinking quite narrowly, i.e., of perspective in a photographic sense. You are referring to "a particular way of considering something." I shall not however let you off the hook because your original statement was as follows: "I think #1 also, a better perspective here for me..." Thus you were stating that the perspective in #1 was better for you. And since images cannot think or consider anything, your usage of the word was incorrect as I pointed out :) Had you said, from my perspective I like #1 better because...." I would have been fine with that.

Interestingly enough it was hard to find a definition of perspective as we use it often when speaking of photography. Then, I found three good ones all in a row here: http://www.yourdictionary.com/perspective

Here they are:

1-the art of picturing objects or a scene in such a way, e.g., by converging lines (linear perspective), as to show them as they appear to the eye with reference to relative distance or depth
2-the appearance of objects or scenes as determined by their relative distance and positions
3-the effect of relative distance and position
4-the relationship or proportion of the parts of a whole, regarded from a particular standpoint or point in time

When I use the word I will often say something like, "From what perspective were you photographing" or "If you changed your perspective, you could improve the image." I could find no reference to perspective meaning position. It seems though that #4 above is pretty much what I was referring to.

Thanks for your thought-provoking comment; it wound up teaching me a thing or too.

On a personal note while I do like to be right :) as often as possible, that was not the main reason that I chose to comment here in depth. As a long time writer I feel that it is important that I and other folks use the language correctly, to say exactly what we mean and to say it clearly. Even when we are just making comments on the web :)

[Marc Mol]

Quite correct Artie, and a very good point. My perspective would most likely refer to your #1 definition.
.......I stand corrected.:D

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for understanding. I learned a lot too!

[Don Railton]

Hi Artie

I love these what do you think and why's... I like #3 because of its 'in your face' detail of a face that only a mother could love. Conversely, I think that #1 has large areas of muted detail that are not as effective as the closeup in holding my interest.

DON

[John Blumenkamp]

I really like the first crop... I'm a fan of the inclusion of space left/right depending on the subject, and I think the pano type crop works really well. What an amazing looking creature!

[Arthur Morris]

Sorry that I missed last night :) The tally is: 5 for the pano. Just 1 for the intermediate view (#2). And 5 for the last one, the tightest.

So opinions are varied. My favorite is the intermediate one, #2 so I am in the clear minority. The bit of o-o-f vegetation in front of that hind leg spoils #1 for a me bit though I still like it. And I ma guessing that many would have thought that I would have gone for #3, up close and personal, but the missing joint on the rear leg is less than ideal. That is actually when I created #2, cropping a bit wider to include that joint.

Which is best? Whichever one you like best and whichever one the photo editor picks (that to fit their needs) :)

Thanks all for playing.

I will be starting a similar Head Angle feature today in the ER.