...kickin' down the cobblestones C&C welcomed

[flashback]

[Geoff F]

I wonder if a slight crop from the top, and a different size ratio (eg 5 x 4), might produce a better composition balance? Good exposure and focus.

[Kaye Leggett]

I like the basic elements of this image, but think Geoff is right about losing some of the cobbles

[flashback]

Geoff, thanks. Based on your suggestion I tried a different crop, let me know if it works (better).

[Manfred M]

if you can, try placing the bird roughly where the bottom third and right third intersect. I suspect that will give you a stronger composition. I agree with the others, there is too much negative space on the left side of the image.

Your most recent crop doesn't do it for me. I'm not sure if my suggestion will do too much either.

[flashback]

Thanks Kaye and Manfred.
There's not enough room at the bottom to crop so the bird is so I re-cropped to the upper corner, using a format on Rawtherapee called Harmonic Means (3). It seems to work better than my first crop.

[IzzieK]

I like the original one better than the cropped...don't know why...maybe because I was too looking too much into so many examples of minimalist approach to photography this morning...maybe a vignette will help?

[Geoff F]

Your new crop is fractionally too much for me, Jack. I did say 'slight crop'.

Showing more at the bottom is introducing some out of focus cobbles which are distracting.

[Shadowman]

Jack,

Nice capture. I have a feeling that the cobblestones are as much of an interest for you as the bird.

[FootLoose]

I think the revised crop almost makes the bird incidental to the scene. Could increase the canvas at the top and clone in some cobbles, Jack?

[flashback]

Thanks Izzie, I guess it could be considered minimalist.

Thanks Geoff, in playing with the crop I liked it cropped more, putting the bird in the upper right. Probably not considered the best placement and as such it seems to appeal to me more.

John, you would be correct. The 'field' of cobblestones and the lone pigeon seems to work for me, but I do find a lot of interest in the cobbles.

Thanks Greg, I suppose in some way the bird is incidental but it wouldn't work without it (or some other point of interest.) There is another row of stones in the first image at the top, the cobblestones not seen end at the curb and are distracting.

If I go with my instincts, I think I'll stay with the first image. Overall it works better to my eye in that the bird is integral to the scene whereas in the second, as Greg observed, it appears more incidental.

[Geoff F]

My thinking, Jack, was for something roughly like this.



But I think it is one of those scenes where everybody would do something slightly different.

[IzzieK]

The edit of Geoff works too for me...I like both -- your original and Geoff's edit.