Clean, tight and graphic or wider with habitat?

[Arthur Morris]

This image was created at Fort DeSoto on the morning of November 11, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite endangered species camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/1250 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB in mostly sunny, very slightly overcast conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -10. One AF point to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the front part of the faint neck-band pretty much on the same plane as the bird’s eye.

Image #1: Piping Plover, worn juvenile on clean sand beach

On an otherwise poor morning this single cooperative bird made out day.

Don't be shy; all comments are welcome. But first see Image #2 below.

with love, artie

[Arthur Morris]

This image was also created at Fort DeSoto on the morning of November 11, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite endangered species off camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/1250 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB in mostly sunny, very slightly overcast conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -10.
One AF point to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on middle of the neck band as originally framed, directly behind and on the same place as the bird’s eye.

Image #2: Piping Plover, worn juvenile with turtle grass & mangrove leaf

Which image do you like best, the clean, tight, and graphic Image #1 or the wider view of Image #2. Be sure to share why you made your choice.

You can learn more about both images and see the crop and the before and after images for Image #2 in the The Times They May Be a Changing blog post here.

with love, artie

[Jake Levin]

I've gotta go with the clean portrait. Still like the grassy shot, but I prefer the head angle on the traditional version, as well as the little waves in the sand at the bird's feet and foreground.

[Bob Smith]

#2 is my preference Arthur---it has movement in the outstriding lifted foot, it has a nice bit of habitat (especially elegant in that it matches the colour of the legs), and there is a sense of purpose in the foreword tilt of the head aligning with the angle of the outstretched foot. It might have been nice if the head had been tilted left just a tad but that might have changed the prominence of the little beak ( which I much prefer over it's alignment #1). Now if only #2 could have had the nice parallel sandbar ripples of #1......

[William Dickson]

Number 2 for me. When I first opened and saw image 1, then read the comment, scrolled down to Image 2 and the second image immediately drew my attention, much more than Image 1. I don't exactly know why. I do like the different coloured tones on the bird, I also like the habitat. Just looks so more 'natural' I guess, thats why I like it better. Nice one.

Will

[Tim Foltz]

Artie, I'm going with #1, very clean image, nice and sharp with nice colors. Maybe with a hair more room on the left though.

-Tim

[Glenn Pure]

I think #2 is more interesting and more going on. Image #1 is too simple for my taste. The only thing I'd change with #2 if it didn't clash with your ethics is to lose that bit of dark seaweed on the lower left edge of the frame. I'd have the bird slightly closer to the centre (in the horizontal plane) too. Raised foot and foraging pose of #2 as well as the seaweed towards the centre makes this one for me.

[Arthur Morris]

I think #2 is more interesting and more going on. Image #1 is too simple for my taste. The only thing I'd change with #2 if it didn't clash with your ethics is to lose that bit of dark seaweed on the lower left edge of the frame. I'd have the bird slightly closer to the centre (in the horizontal plane) too. Raised foot and foraging pose of #2 as well as the seaweed towards the centre makes this one for me.

I actually like both. The clean, tight, and graphic style has been working well for me for more than three decades, heck, it helped make me famous, so I will not be abandoning it soon. I see #2 as my being open to trying new things. Not that I have not been doing similar stuff for 30+ years; I just saw it as a pair of images with educational potential so I went for it.

As for the lower left seaweed here is what I wrote on the blog in answer to the same question:

"Thanks Jake. I intentionally left the strand of grass to better balance the image, especially to balance the long strand of grass that comes in from the right frame edge. In addition, it adds another angled element to go along with the bird’s raised leg. There is of course no “right” answer; but I like it and it’s my image .



"

[Bill Dix]

I like them both. The simple, clean image in #1, with classic HA, is very appealing, and I especially like the rippled sand. The raised foot and color of seaweed make #2 more interesting, but the sand foreground is less attractive. If I have to choose, I'll go with #1.

[Glenn Pure]

I actually like both. The clean, tight, and graphic style has been working well for me for more than three decades, heck, it helped make me famous, so I will not be abandoning it soon. I see #2 as my being open to trying new things. Not that I have not been doing similar stuff for 30+ years; I just saw it as a pair of images with educational potential so I went for it.

As for the lower left seaweed here is what I wrote on the blog in answer to the same question:

"Thanks Jake. I intentionally left the strand of grass to better balance the image, especially to balance the long strand of grass that comes in from the right frame edge. In addition, it adds another angled element to go along with the bird’s raised leg. There is of course no “right” answer; but I like it and it’s my image .

"

Not suggesting you abandon anything, especially things that work for you or that you personally like. I suspect that experienced photographers probably look at images in quite different ways to the wider public so your experience here is not surprising to me. Thanks for an enlightening discussion.