Which do you prefer: Wider or tighter?

[Arthur Morris]

Taught a SAT Seminar in Phoenix despite a wicked case of the flu that I brought home from NANPA... Took a few folks out yesterday to Papago Ponds. (Thanks EJ!) Great early morning location for Ring-necked Ducks. The image was created with the 500mm f/4L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC while seated behind my 3530 LSV tripod topped with the Mongoose M3.5.

ISO 400. 1/500 sec. at f/8. Exposure verified by histogram check. Breaded.

I first created the cropped version above. Please see below.

later and love, artie

[Arthur Morris]

After comparing the cropped version above with the converted TIFF I decided to see how the original uncropped version compared.

Which do you prefer, the tight or the wide?

thanks and later and love, artie

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Artie,
vote #1.......tighter. I did get your thank you and posted my reply on my pic. I did send a reply to the BAA e-mail.
Roman

[Wheeler McDougal Jr.]

I personally prefer the cropped version, but I must say the crop is almost inperceptible and I don't think I would have discerned the difference if you hadn't pointed it out.

[Steve Canuel]

Hi Artie,
I have to agree with Wheeler on this. I had to count ripples to see the crop. It seems like this one would be a good candidate for a vertical crop to just the left edge (as viewed) of the front wake with an equal amount on the opposite side to put the focus on the bow wave created by his charge. If there had been a diagonal wake in the BG equal to the one on the left I could see going with this wide of a crop. As it is now it seems unbalanced. Just curious about your thoughts on this one.
Steve

[Krijn Trimbos]

Another vote for cropped. too me this shot is about the eyes and they just grab me more in the cropped version.

[Charles Senkus]

like the crop but the difference is bearly noticeable

[Lori A. Cash]

Another vote for the tighter image. Eventhough, the crop is hardly noticeable the cropped version draws me in more especially with the eyes.

Lori

[David Hemmings]

Hi Artie, first of all great shot, love the head on look and those orange eyes. My eyes prefer the tighter crop, I also feel as though it would be a little stronger with a bit taken from the left side. Maybe not, just a thought.
David

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I prefer the tighter crop, too. It emphasizes the little wavelet but I might remove some of the bright reflections.

[Gayle Clement]

I prefer the cropped also, Artie. It draws more attention to the eyes and the detail in the neck.

[Paul Fusco]

Tighter.

- Paul

[Tony Whitehead]

Another vote for the first version

[Steve Ashton]

The first version for me... must say it took three or four views before I could tell the difference.

[Lesley van Loo]

and I also like the (bit) cropped version better.
great shot, great action.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks to all for sharing their thoughts. Here is the interesting part, as viewed here, there does not seem to be a very great difference. When viewed full screen in Breezebrowser, the difference is huge. And here's the best part, everyone who has seen them in a Breezebrowser slide program full screen prefers, as I do, the wider version where the diagonal wave in the BKGR seems to take on much more prominence. Go figure. Later and love, artie