Original or cropped? Which is best?

[Tenzin'sMom]

Well, I was pretty pleased with my "Fall Flower in Sedona" photo, but when I showed it to a family member known for her honesty and bluntness she said, "Weird. Why would anyone take a picture of a dead flower with the background all out of focus? I don't like it." Later she added, "Maybe I'd like it better if it was just the flower." I'd like to be open to any comments from any source (yes, even Mom), so here's what it looks like cropped.

I still like the original, but what do you think? In my short time on DPS I've come to highly value your comments!

The original:



More closely cropped:



And still more tightly cropped (I've intentionally cropped off the right edge to match the accidentally cut off left edge):



And as a thank you for looking at these, a new one just for fun, my "Late Bloomer."



Thanks everyone!

[fstopMike]

I like the first one.

The negative space adds a LOT to the image. I also think it is very artful. An in-focus background would have made the image boring and detract from the focus of the subject, besides making it look busy. The one thing that would make your image better, in my opinion, would have been to have all the flower in the frame. I can't tell you how many times I've done something like that myself....It probably runs into five figures...

[haru_glory89_ok3]

i like #2, coz it balance than #1

[Neil Sadler]

I much prefer the original. I agree with Mike that the negative space adds a lot. I feel that the close crop looks a little crowded and like it's been crammed into the frame. Nice shot though

[dionzero]

i like the original shot

[pegger]

I like the original shot and agree with Mike. I would have preferred to put the (erstwhile) flower on the right side of the frame as its kinda looking towards left. Just my imagination and suggestion.

[SusanH1970]

I would say the first if it had a bit more space at the top and on the left to more follow the rule of thirds. I like the 2nd one, too, though.

Explain bokeh and shallow DOF to your family member, LOL! ...Both of which you have shown excellent examples of in these photos.

[Tenzin'sMom]

Thanks to all of you for your kind words and helpful ideas! I'm learning so much. Yes, Mike and Susan, getting the whole flower in there with a little more space would definitely make a difference. Looks like I might need to give myself a little "wiggle room" when I compose my shots. Pegger, I hadn't noticed the flower looking to the left, but it does seem to.

As for explaining bokeh and DOF to my mom, LOL is right!

Thanks to all of you for looking and responding. What a great group of people!

[windrider86]

If your looking for critique, have you checked out the critique section where you'll get more responses? (this area is for showing off)

[markprobin]

I like the 2nd photo (nearly) just concentrating on the flower - but needs a bit more space around it.

Number 3, no way!

As for number the original shot. Sometimes the blank space works well. Years ago, when my Nephew was just a couple of years old I got a shot of him where that flower was. The blank space though was full of his screams/crys etc that he was bellowing out at the time which filled the rest of the shot.