Crop the sky?

[AndrewMcD]

I seem to have something of an aversion to cropping. It's not a matter of thinking that it's already perfect but more a problem with lack of experience with aspect ratios and balance of composition. Does this one need to lose a bit of the sky? I like this image but there's something not quite right, a sense of imbalance, and I can't put my finger on it. Any and all comments and suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you,
Andrew

[deetheturk]

Hi Andrew,

I'm no expert,but I.M.O. the image would benefit as you say from losing a bit of sky

[kap55]

Andrew I think that cropping out some of the sky would improve the photo. If there had been some interesting cloud formations or something else that added to the photo I might have considered including the sky. You will probably end up with something that is not a "standard" aspect ratio, but I don't think that is as important as good balance and composition.

[Mike Buckley]

I wonder if you would be better off correcting the underexposure before making a decision about the crop. The revised look might affect your decision.

Personally, I like the sky serving as negative space as a balance to the packed snow.

I could even make the argument of maintaining the same aspect ratio but cropping at the bottom to just barely below the snow (the entire lower shadow is not needed in my mind). Doing so will also crop at the sides and increase the amount of sky relative to the rest of the image. Doing so will also place the horizon in the center, which I think works really well in this scene (despite that so many people quote the so-called rule that we should avoid placing the horizon in the center).

[Wavelength]

I am afraid, we, photographers have a bad eye for a blank sky, mostly a deep rooted superstition. A cloud filled sky may be beautiful, but miss the power to convey a deep feeling as a blank sky would do( by the way i got a new statement for my mindscape ) ; here the sky is heavy with its color which adds to the mood of the image as contrasted against a white snow plate in the foreground.

[bnnrcn]

I would certainly crop half of the sky,this makes snow stand out and gives a better compositionwhy don't you try and upload again so that we can comment on it again..

[Shadowman]

I think you can get away with the current composition. Although the horizon is centered, there is enough leading elements that overpower the overall image. The blue acts as a direct contrast to the sandy area.

[Andrew76]

To me, the sense of imbalance comes from the lighthouse competing with the ice. I don't want to say that a shot like this cannot work, because it can. But it just appears as though there's no real way to determine what the exact subject of the shot is.

I like the sky, I wouldn't crop it at all.

Maybe a different angle, or throwing the lighthouse oof? I can't really put my finger on it either.

[IzzieK]

I am with Mike here -- just because the sky lacks the "required" bunch of clouds here, it does not mean the shot is uninteresting. My first thought when I saw your picture is that the top part is a little dark-ist? Maybe a little lightening will benefit from it instead of cropping...

And Nanadumar, your sentiment is very inspiring...thank you.

[pnodrog]

The stacked composition worries more than the slight excess of sky. Did you try an angle that placed the beacon on the right? At the moment it is all a bit central. I think the exposure when taken was correct ensuring you captured highlight details fully but it would be improved in PP by moving the white point down or lifting the curve to add a bit more sparkle.

P.S. I just noticed Andrew(76) has a similar view in his reference to an imbalance.

[Stagecoach]

Andrew,

Leave the sky as is, crop from left and bottom to half the distance between ice and edges and boost the white to give the ice more prominence. Just an idea

It's a very good and unusual capture.

Grahame

[TonyW]

I too have an aversion to cropping and I would not want to crop the sky. To my inexpert eye, the picture looks a little unbalanced with the white so much more prominent than anything else. If it were mine, I would experiment with deepening and brightening the blue ( I don't think that's an oxymoron) to act as a counterweight to the white.

[AndrewMcD]

I knew I could count on CIC to help me move off the stuck place I was freezing to with this image. It clicked for me when Mike suggested I correct the exposure. It wasn't so much that the sky needed to go but the tones needed correcting. I remembered having another shot that was tighter at the bottom and left side yet essentially the same exposure.

So here we go with the alternative shot. I've brought the exposure up 2/3 stop and applied a mild "medium" contrast curve. This image is 58mm focal length while the other was at 45mm. The change in focal length effectively cropped the bottom and left side plus brings the lighthouse in a bit closer. Aperture is f/18 shutter speed 1/200 and ISO 100.

I like the composition, the way the ice points to the lighthouse and the two are linked with the lighthouse reflection on the water. Perhaps, as has been suggested, I've been a bit ambitious there but that is what motivated the photo.

I did a local reduction of highlights and application of a little clarity adjustment to the large piece of ice in an effort to keep some of the texture after increasing the exposure. I think there are other improvements that can be done in pp but key for me has been correcting the exposure. This isn't the first time I've been prone to underexposure; not sure why.

Comments and criticisms are solicited; am I better with the increased exposure. Have I gone too far, or need some more?
Thanks again,
Andrew

[Shadowman]

It's worth submitting more than one variation.

[Downrigger]

I like your new version tremendously. It's a nice balanced composition now to my eye, and a nicely lit and interesting scene.

[Mike Buckley]

I like this a lot more and it's almost exactly what I was thinking of. If it was mine, I would use the Levels tool to lower the white point even more so the histogram goes all the way to the right side of the graph.

I like the composition, the way the ice points to the lighthouse and the two are linked with the lighthouse reflection on the water. Perhaps, as has been suggested, I've been a bit ambitious there but that is what motivated the photo.

Not at all overly ambitious. Definitely creative and the result of having such a good eye to see it.

There is a detail about that that would have been eliminated if you had changed the position of the lighthouse. Notice that the reflection of the lighthouse is precisely at the little point in the snow. That connection is a small part of the image but I think really important. Without that connection, the image wouldn't be nearly as nice for me.

This isn't the first time I've been prone to underexposure; not sure why.

It's especially easy to do if you don't think about the exposure in advance. The camera is "seeing" the bright snow and sky, not knowing they are not neutral gray. So, unless you are spot metering on part of the image that really is neutral gray, using matrix (evaluative) metering or using center-weighted metering will underexpose the image. The solution is to use your camera's exposure compensation.

More important, you should always check your histogram after taking a photo. If you had done so, it would have indicated that the image was underexposed if you have learned how to read the histogram. If not, check out the CiC tutorials about that.

[jamn4ex]

I like the new exposure better too.

[bnnrcn]

New exposure is certainly better

[Wavelength]

By brightening the image, the gloom is replaced by a glee
Regards

[FrankMi]

Looking at the second image Andrew, my eye is taken in by the big and bright ice in the foreground. You've moved the white balance in the right direction to make the ice look more realistic but the image is still a bit flat.

At this point I would try to bring out as much detail in the ice as you can owing to the fact that it is the focal point of the image. I also wouldn't be afraid to lose some of the sky to increase the impact of the ice.

EDIT: Here is a quick edit (if you don't mind?) to show you a direction you could move this image towards. Your personal taste may be different so please let me know if you want me to remove this.



It might also help if I started with the first image as it has a bit more space around the ice.