Forth, or back & forth?

[dlambert]

I shot a couple different compositions of this shot - one with the path as shown, showing the sweep to the right, and then back to the left, and another with just the sweep to the right. I know that normal composition guidelines would just emphasize the single sweep, but I really like the sense of depth shown here.

Here's a link to the alternate version.

Exif: Canon 40D – 38 mm – f/7.1 – 1/80 sec – 200 ISO

I'd like feedback specifically on the following:

• Composition - specifically whether you like this one or the alternate version.
• Post-processing - saturation & sharpness applied to try to "pop" the colors. I'd love to get the dogwoods to stand out a bit more, too -- any ideas?
• Cropping - I'm wondering if I should lose about 10% on each side - thoughts?

Thanks!

[Krusty79]

I definitely like the one you posted over the alternate version. The road in the alternate one leads the eye out of the frame.

I don't think you need to crop any more. In fact, I'd like to see a little more of the tops of the trees.

I tried a Levels adjustment to set the black and white points to get more "pop." I'll take it down if you don't want this posted.

[dlambert]

No, thanks -- I like that. I think I'll play around with that on the original when I get a chance. That's definitely a step in the right direction.