Two shots, need advice and critique.

[TheKingInYellow]

This is Tanner, whom I met at the beach the other day and whose owner was kind enough to let me shoot their game of catch at the lake.

My request for critique here is mostly to do with advice on framing a shot like this, and shutter speed. First off, here are the two captures I liked from the three dozen or so I took.



ISO 200
f11
1/200th sec exposure
Post processing included a slight rotation to level the horizon, -2/3 stops exposure, slight increase in saturation and hue.



ISO 200
f9
1/640th sec exposure
Post processing included -2/3 stops exposure, and a slight increase in saturation and hue.

Both pictures were taken handheld with the 17-55ms IS lens. So my questions for critique are:

Framing of the shot in both cases had the dog moving out of frame. This was intentional to capture the trail in the water, but it goes against the 'movement coming into the frame' rule of composition. Is this a good exception, or should I have framed the dog on the left of the picture?

Tightly framed, versus a wider frame. I like the picture with the shoreline and sky in the shot, but there is a loss of detail in the water splashing. Which would you say is preferable?

The shutter speed in the second shot was three times faster, and it seems that the trade off is better clarity in the splashes, but you lose some sense of motion. Which would you find preferable?

I really don't know which picture I like better, so I thought I would throw them both out for critique and opinion. I have had *stellar* advice here so far, and you are all helping me learn, which I greatly appreciate.

Thanks for your time and your opinions!

[naeno]

I like the second one better, though the horizon needs leveling. The dog has a smile on his face that you just can't see in the first one. Sheer joy!

Your subject is the dog, the shoreline just detracts from your subject, in my opinion, SO tighter crop is better.

[myfotoguy]

I agree that the tighter crop is better.

As far as the leave space for the subject to go. I think when you have a trail showing where they have been that it works really well. In this crop there is "just" enough to make it work. However, the tight crop to me looks more like the dog is splashing out of the water so the traditional rule of giving the subject someplace to go may have worked better. I guess you would need to see them side by side to decide though.

If you were able to get any lower to ghte ground to get thee dog and trail behind without including the horizon that might get the trail behind thing really well.

Either way, I like your shots and prefer the tighter crop.

[TheKingInYellow]

Hmm, I'll try re-cropping it tonight, although I think the second shot was pretty much the full frame with only a bit of cropping.

Thanks for the advice, I'll see what I can do with it.

[nswphotos]

The crop is 100% better, you can almost gather the dog’s expression and excitement. Nice clean picture well caught!! I love getting in the action!!

[TheKingInYellow]

I tried to recrop this one, but I'm limited by the original frame. I did fix the horizon, and the result *is* better I think.

Here is the rotated and slightly re-cropped pic:

[sbunting108]

Definitly the tighter crop one by miles in my eyes the shoreline in the first one just detracts from the subject.