Cityscape that I have gotten different opinions on

[Dshafr16]

I took this photo for a school project. The instructor said it was a good photo as it is. But others are telling me it would be a better photo without the foreground objects. What do you think?

Instuctor likes:

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Exposure: 0.001 (1/800)
ISO: 100
Aperture: f6.3
Focal length: 18mm

Other pros like:

Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS
Exposure: 0.002 (1/640)
ISO: 100
Aperature: f6.3
Focal length: 55mm

[semcio]

For me the first photo is a bit messy. There is just to much going on in the foreground, and you get distracted from the main subject, which I think is the bridge.

The second one is better because the bridge is clearly the main subject. I would still got rid of the picnic table though.

But that is just me, and I like to keep the photograph simple. Overloading it with stuff is confusing and it's difficult to keep it in balance.

Hope that helps.

[Jonbar18]

Originally Posted by semcio

For me the first photo is a bit messy. There is just to much going on in the foreground, and you get distracted from the main subject, which I think is the bridge.

The second one is better because the bridge is clearly the main subject. I would still got rid of the picnic table though.

But that is just me, and I like to keep the photograph simple. Overloading it with stuff is confusing and it's difficult to keep it in balance.

Hope that helps.

Couldn't have said it better myself

[SwissJon]

Personally I don't like either..

The first crop is ugly, it's got a bin and road detracting from it and it's just way too busy.

The second crop would be great without the half table.

I'd be very tempted to crop it horizontally, but to just below the bottom of the table, losing the disturbed snow and the road, and crop the left off so you lose the tree, and a little off the right to keep the proportions, you end up with a stronger composition.. The bridge leads in from the right at exactly 1/3 height, taking the eye away over the table and leads you down the bridge to the other side.. the bench then becomes somewhere for the eye to sit and enjoy the view

[Sterling]

It would've been better if you'd just crossed the street.

[digirebelva]

yep on the first one I would crop the road out & remove the trashcan, and remove the table fragment on the second one

[cristen]

Dshafr16, I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of doing a little photoshop editing. I was of two minds about leaving out the clump of shoveled snow in the foreground, but then, it's a nice edging to the photo. any comments? (But not on my photoshop skills, pls.... it is still so awful!!)

[NgaiHill]

Yep, I definitely like the second one better, a much stronger image with a greater focus on the bridge. I barely noticed the bridge in the first shot and others have said it is just too messy. Foregrounds are good if they lead the eye into the scene but in this case it is just a distraction.

[EOBeav]

I agree with others about removing unnecessary elements. You would also do well to shoot this again at sunset, or at sunrise, when the light is a lot better. You just can't photoshop quality and direction of light into an image.

[ihsankhairir]

Originally Posted by cristen

Dshafr16, I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of doing a little photoshop editing. I was of two minds about leaving out the clump of shoveled snow in the foreground, but then, it's a nice edging to the photo. any comments? (But not on my photoshop skills, pls.... it is still so awful!!)

hmmm, even after cloning, I still see some problems with the photo. The perspective lines are still not visually prominent, maybe because they blend into the horizon too much. A case of compressed perspective I guess, but rather unintentional I presume.