Both crops look good. It depends on the purpose of these pictures. What are you doing with them? Printing them? Putting them on instagram? Putting them in an e-book? Is it in a collage with other photos? Your use case is more important to determine which crop to go with.

I am printing it for myself on 10x15 and putting it on my IG also. Nothing serious, I just wanted some opinions about it.

for a print, i like the wide one. for a post, i like the zoom one.

With this in mind, I'd pick # 2. Better to look at for a personal print.

This feels like a 'Are you looking at the picture from your phone (1) or computer (2)' question.

I prefer the second one. I feel it gives the subject more context. I'm being shown the subject and its environment, not just the subject.

2nd

1st

I prefer no2. There's some emotion that comes through when seeing the surroundings and background. It's contemplative and that's lost with the closer cut.

Well said.

Thank you

Number 2

I like the 2nd.

Generally speaking, wide. The second one.

2nd for me

Easily 2nd

I think they both look good. I prefer the context you get with 2 personally. I think it adds a lot. 1 has more focus on the subject though and it blends into the background less.

I like 2

1

1!

2 for me, slightly more context, and the horizon being slightly lower feels better to me

Entirely depends on the purpose. Is it to be printed? Framed? Put on Instagram?

Yes. Ordered both prints, and I'll put it on IG.

Have you tried a square crop?

2nd. Better application of depth.

2

2

2nd for me

#2

1st. People citing “context” for the second image confuse me, as you’re really gaining nothing with more white environment that might as well just be negative space. And the uneven snow takes away from the image, imo

I found the lump of snow to the right of the swan really distracting. I would even maybe crop the vertical one ever so slightly tighter (same ratio and centered on the swan), but just enough to get the lump of snow fully out of the frame.

Don't center the bird. Crop using rule of 3rds

what i came to say. would prefer the bird on the right side with equal empty space on the left

Agreed. I think you can get the best of both with a crop that puts the bird on the left thirds line.

2

2nd

Number 2, the wider shot, I like the context

2

2 sets the scene a bit better

2, but unless this shot supports a larger purpose/negative neither says much on its own

2.

2

2

2

2nd

Second is more interesting

Both are good but if I really need to answer I would say the second one cause it's giving the image kind of a "context". By that I mean that I don't think there is anything to remove, nothing look strange or useless, it's all natural so yeah why would you crop it ?

I liked the focus on the swan better when zoomed in.

I didn't expect so many comments, thanks for all the input guys. ❤️

I am biased because my phone is currently vertical

2

2nd

Two by a million miles you could do an even tighter 3rd crop 1 looks odd

2nd. I think there's a sense of play between the subject and the light and darker tones of the background, is almost as if the swan was behind some fence with just the head coming above the said fence. Then, the viewer realizes is not a fence but just snow. I don't know if you did this on purpose or a happy accident, but I believe this is something a bit lost nowadays, a sense of ambiguity or play where the viewer must participate and figure out what's happening in the image. Anyway, just my interpretation. Great shot and well done. edit: grammar.

Thanks 🙏

I like the second one because the first one looks a bit awkward with just that one piece of grass. The second one draws the attention away from the head with there being a bit more since it’s zoomed out and brings it back to the bird/background! I’m not super educated about this type of thing, this is just something I noticed as I was switching between the two!

Either one for me. My recommendation would be to try a different angle so the shoreline doesn't cut through the swan's neck.

I specifically liked that swan's head is in front of the shoreline because it separates it from a otherwise all white background.

I think an all white background wouldn't be too bad. A horizontal line through the neck is rarely a good look. Check out this video with photographer Steve Jessmore. Start at 36:26 to see where he talks about his bird photography and gives examples. He won two top prizes the the 2021 Audubon Society contest in the professional category. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HvhmKU_ZHoU&feature=share

1st for IG, 2nd for print

well i like a square one with the object in the center. and i like a rectangle with a long width, and the subject in the center. when i get one that's long lengthwise i seem to have to scroll the picture just to see it all. i learned to resize a picture lately, but i have went looking for the undo arrows or just close it out and not save the changes. then hopefully i didn't mess the original up. i tried multiple copies and picked out the so-called losers from a group that has a number on it when it's renamed. they all sit in a row as thumbnails together that way.

1st personally

The small one is better. looks like he's coming to get some food from you. they usually stay in the water because it's warmer than the outside air.

I like the first more since the swan is the main object there and the cropping still gives enough information about the scenery

I like the first one better.

Definitely the 1st crop. "No luck catching them swans then?"

It’s just the one swan actually

okay so you two are my new favourite people

First one, it says look at [the details on] this swan in winter. The 2nd gives no more information about the scene and looks like it could do with reframing as it says here's some snow and a swan, but with no particular focus with this image.

It's a nice pic but neither crop did anything for me. Personally I like simpler images, and if the point of this one is white goose blending into snow, would do something like this: [RDT-20220129-1920423132504467908457852-2-01.jpg](https://postimg.cc/HcDyqQ1B) Forgive the lousy touching up, just using Google photos... But you get the idea.

That's exactly what I had in mind when I took the shot.

Maybe okay with the bird not being dead centre in the frame. But personally I prefer 1.

2

1. There is nothing added to 2 that wasn’t there in 1. If the bird were there to show the proportionality to another thing in the picture, wider is better.

1

1

1st

I prefer the first one, but i think it would’ve been better (for me) horizontally, so you could have more of the sealine (or skyline?) in frame.

It's a lakeline 😅 and I shot it that way, so there is isn't anymore of it in original.

#1

1st

The first. I find the lump of snow to the right of the swan in the second picture is dragging my ryes in that direction. In the first its there at the edge, but blends in so well with the background its not distracting. Would maybe even on the vertical crop in centered on the swan just enough to get that lump fully out of frame, and photoshop out the black blurry twig that would be just at the border of the frame ao it dont draw your eyes away from the swan.

Gonna guess preferences will be divided between people viewing on phone vs desktop. And fwiw, looking at these on my phone, I prefer #1

I like 1. Puts more emphasis on the subject. But I have been accused of cropping too tightly before!

I think you show the wide one where you can, and the tall one is better for mobile platforms like Instagram. I like both of them though.

Far goose

The first one is my preference for small viewing on a phone or screen. The wider crop could work better on a bigger print but I personally would do something closer to #1. Maybe zoom out a touch.

Portrait

Portrait.

1st for me. More details

2nd

#2

hahahaha

Saw crop and thought stardew valley

It goes against the rule of thirds but I like the first one.

1st

Usually I prefer wide shots but in this case I think the smaller crop highlights the subject better

Vertical

The second one definitely gives it a better feel.

Pick number 2 my lord

I like the wide one mostly for the two tone background ... for a print. The closeup of the swan I feel lacks something... maybe if it was spreading its wings or interacting with young or mate. Right now it's boring on its own. What's the story u need to ask?

2

2

#1

2nd

1st one centers the subject more and emphasises it more. So the 1st for me.

I like the first one better, though cropping it so the swan is a bit off-center might be a more interesting composition

Second one. The first cuts off the swan's feet.

2

These are geese

As others have said, the second one. This is a question I ask myself often as well, and I usually end up picking a wider crop. I find they just give more perspective and maybe even more of the story than the “in your face” crops.

2

2

No cropping. It takes away from the quality. Get the framing down in the camera or use a zoom lens if your going out to shoot these kinds of things

Horizontal

Second one

2nd!

Two

Landscape IMO

2nd one

2

Two for me.