Is this a bad crop-job?

[Cliffs]

Before




After



My wife didn't like the leaf covered log in the foreground. I cropped it out and she liked the result.

I took the picture for 2 reasons;

-the color of the sky refected in the shadow of the water
and
-the mirror image

I have done no other PP to it, just the crop ...oh I downsized the image.

[RLucas]

No offense, but I like the pre cropped image alot! All the contrast, and the deep blue, was cropped out in the second image. As well as the leaves in the foreground. They helped to frame the image nicely.

[Joey the girl]

Originally Posted by RLucas

No offense, but I like the pre cropped image alot! All the contrast, and the deep blue, was cropped out in the second image. As well as the leaves in the foreground. They helped to frame the image nicely.

I agree. I liked the blues of the first image

[Katie_Belmont]

I agree, I really like the precropped image. You lost the best part of it when you cropped. I think a better solution might be to clone it out. Like so?

[Cliffs]

No offense taken, I love the before shot as well...thanks for the comments.

[ggilkey]

I agree with previos posts - I like the precrop image better!

[cziz]

This is my take.

[kentuckyranger]

The first image is great, the second image was cropped the wrong way.
The crop would have looked better if you'd cropped out the upper part of the image and focused on the reflection.
The leaves aren't distracting but help frame the image and give it depth.

[Pen]

I agree with Kentuckyranger, if anything crop off some of the woods at the top if you feel the need to do any cropping here. Great image the way it was

[Cliffs]

The last 2 comments on upper cropping were useful but to tell the truth of the shot, I was trying to use the rule of thirds, therefore the log in the lower 1/3, the horizontal log and the vertical log in the middle 1/3 and the larger amount of reflected greenery in the left 1/3.

As for the crop off the top...I really couldn't take off enough of the leaves as the tree in the middle needs the space above it to reflect the reflection.

As I mentioned in my OP, my wife didn't like the log in the water and to appease her sensibilities I cropped it out and then to appease my ego, posted here knowing that most of you would like the original and I could tell her as much...


I do however like the crop that cziz did as it shows my capture of the rule of thirds much better.