Doi Suthep -Chiang Mai Thailand

[RobbieG]

This is my first post to the forums and I am trying to improve my skills and knowledge. This shot was taken with my old Canon G9 and I have since bought a Canon 500D.
This shot was taken on a rainy day up the mountain and was probably more good luck than good management.
I have tweaked it slightly in photoshop elements by adding a gaussian blur layer and using the overlay blend.
Any advice or tips would be much appreciated.

EXIF:
Camera: Canon PowerShot G9
Exposure: 1/60
Aperture: f/4.8
Focal Length: 44 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Metering Mode: Pattern

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi RobbieG,

Wow! This is a great shot. I love the colors and the action. It is really nice. My advice for making it a stronger image would be to crop in tighter on the two priests. I find the people on the left side of the image a distraction. I would crop them out. Perhaps a vertical crop just wide enough to get the two flags in it?

Anyway, great image!

KG

[Ben Holder]

I agree with Kansai. Awesome image, but I do find the people and extra stuff on the left and right distracting from the main subject. A little bit of a tighter crop to remove them would greatly add to the impact. TFS

[RobbieG]

Thanks for your comments/advice.
Is it ok to just crop a random size or should I crop to standard/original photo size?
What is the right thing to do?
I have cropped as suggested but do you think the tighter crop takes away the feel of where you are?

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi again,

I'm so envious of this image. It is so nice. All three of these crops are fantastic!

Is it ok to just crop a random size or should I crop to standard/original photo size? What is the right thing to do?

There is no right or wrong. It is entirely up to you. If you are going to make a print, then crop to that size, otherwise anything goes. It depends on your preference.

I have cropped as suggested but do you think the tighter crop takes away the feel of where you are?

I disagree. It is still very clearly Thailand to me. However, (again) it is your preference and your thinking as the artist that matters. If you think that a tight crop loses something, then it does. I personally like the top image the best. I feel that the most engaging thing in the image is the two priests and 'filling the frame' with them makes for the most attractive image. Having said that, all three images are nice.

Well done.

KG