Which of the two photos above do you like better? Why?
Both photos are very similar, but one was shot at sunrise and one was shot at sunset, so different parts of the red rock were lit up by the sun.
There’s no right or wrong answer here. The reason I’m asking the question is to get you thinking about composition, and specifically help you think about your own unique perspective of the world.
Personally, I like the first shot (on the left) better. I like the shaded part at the bottom of the frame because I think it anchors the image better. Since our eyes are drawn to brighter spots first, I feel like it makes more sense to put the dark stuff at the bottom of a landscape image. That way, your eyes naturally lead towards the back of the photograph where you have a dramatic lit-up subject (such as a mountain peak at sunrise).
I’m also a big fan of contrast, and I feel like the first image has a better arrangement of color. I think the blue sky next to the glowing red rock creates a much stronger contrast than the arrangement in the second photo (with the blue sky against the shaded rock). Again, there’s no right or wrong answer here, these are just some thoughts that go through my head when looking at and composing these types of images.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree?
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. I think it’d be great to get a discussion going about composition. There’s a lot we can all learn from each other 🙂
Would you like to see more comparisons like this?
This is a new style of post I’m trying out, so I’d love to hear your feedback. Was this kind of discussion / thought-exercise helpful? Would you like to see more side-by-side photo comparisons like this? If so, please let us know by leaving a comment below. Thanks!
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About the Author: Steve Berardi is a naturalist, photographer, software engineer, and founder of PhotoNaturalist. You can usually find him hiking in the beautiful mountains and deserts of southern California.
I like the right (second) photo because the light rounded portion in the foreground invites me to climb it and discover the hidden area behind it at the base of the dark area in the background.
“I think it’d be great to get a discussion going about composition. There’s a lot we can all learn from each other”
Hear hear! I am a newbie to ‘enthusiast’ photography but find the compositional concepts I am learning about fascinating (currently reading Bruce Barnbaum’s Art of Photography). I think an understanding of these will have a far greater impact on my photography than ‘a better camera’ will.
I guess in that case I should have an opinion about your question! For me, looking at the two photos, I think they each could be made striking in their own right if there was a more obvious subject in the lighter areas. As you say, the eye is drawn to the light areas, but when mine gets there on these photos, it doesn’t find anything. I wonder what the photo on the left would look like shot from a lower perspective in order to zoom in on the tree a bit more to make it more of a focal point, yet still retaining some of the dark foreground?
I agree that the left picture feels better balanced. Great idea to show examples like this which make you think…often when discussing composition the subjects are so different that comparisons are hard to make.
I prefer the one on the left. Because there is more detail on cliff in the sun and on the right photo. Also the tree becomes a more important feature. Keep the comparisons coming. Could also include differences in white balance.
Keep ’em coming. I like the format of comparing two photos and hearing why one composition is better than the other.
It is close, but I like the one on the right a little better. The eye naturally goes to the lightest area first and that is in the foreground, then the eye can take in the rest of the picture. On the left, the darker part seems to make you skip over it and then have to come back. The pine tree lacks contrast in the one on the left. Yes, I like the comparison test as part of your offerings, which are always good.
Yes – I like this style of post!
I like the one on the left. I agree that dark on the bottom anchors the image better. I might have tried an HDR series for this kind of situation where there is such contrast in the subject.
Yes, I would like to see more of these interactive discussions in the future.
Absolutely do more like this! This promotes thoughtful discussion, and thought.
Before I read your reasons for preferring the image on the left, I had already decided that was my preference as well. The image on the right doesn’t invite me to go deeper into the scene once I have seen the bright foreground. The shadowy cliff almost seems like it doesn’t belong. If our eyes are drawn to the brighter area, it seems natural to “climb over” the foreground to get there as occurs when viewing the image on the left.
You do, however, lose some of the detail in the curved line of foliage that provides a leading line into the scene. This is definitely more obvious when the foreground is brightly lit.
Tough call!
Without hesitation, the photo on the left for me.
Yes, definitely. What a great way to get your point across. You can write all you want about why one image of a subject is better than another, but if the examples are right there to see, the answer comes into sharp focus. I would love to see different lighting, different framing, different angle, different zoom, etc to improve my image creation tools.
My vote is for the photo on the right because I find to light at the bottom more inviting.
Excellent idea to create this comparison as a means to discuss composition.
This was a very helpful exercise. The side-by-side comparison was great and I would hope that you will do more of these. As for which one I like the best – I tend to agree with Steve, the left one is my choice as well. I do feel that the darker part could be lightened up a bit to bring out more of the details in the shadows.
I like the discussion.
The light and shadow variation is so distinct that I first thought I was looking at two different viewpoints.
I like the one on the right. I find the foliage on the lower rocks takes the light nicely and the tree on the upper ridge is well-outlined.
That said, I agree that the dark lower section in the left composition does a lot to anchor the picture.
It,s good advice to everyone. Find a spot and visit it many times to experience it in many lighting conditions, in changing seasons, etc.
Thanks for the interesting post.
Steven in Montreal.
I prefer the one on the left. The foliage on the cliff is represented better. In the photo on the right, the tree/brush has a cyan halo around the edges and that proves to be a distraction to me.
Love the first (left) one. The larger highlighted rock face at distance shows more depth interest and the modest concave linear formations help move the eye through the image. One other great thing is that the lit trees don’t have the chromatic aberrations, as in the second image.
I like the left photo, not sure why but I think for the same reason you noted. It seems balanced with the dark area Iower in the photo. The one on the right just seems off to me.
I like this post and would love to see more like this.
Great discussion! I like bits of both of them and can’t quite decide. I like the rich tones and detail of the rock in the left picture, and I like the light/dark/light balance in the right picture, and also the detail of the tree in silhouette, leading my eye up to the top of the rock.
I really prefer the one on the left. Please keep the comparisons coming. It’s great to read about the pros and cons of each phot and gives me something to think about when composing my next shot.
HI I like the first one best adn what you said yourself, I could not have pput better so I am not goingto repeat that. Our estern eyes work from left to right and the pint of greater interest is the red light rock, that is where are eye will eventually lead us to. Having said that, I think this is a good exercise however I think it could be improved if you left your thoughts out until after others gave their thoughts. That way no one would be swayed by your answer! Just my opinion.
I prefer the one on the left. Your eye tends to follow from dark to light. When I get to the ridge which is lighted, I see a small tree for a center of interest. in the photo on the right there is not a strong enough center of interest in the light areas.
Excellent idea and I also agree that the image on the left is slightly the more attractive one. The shadows on the vertical lit surface lift the image and there are none on the lit surface on the right hand image. One suggestion – layout. Start off with ‘images below ‘ , then the next two paras to ‘world’ then insert the two images, then pick up again at ‘Personally’ . This puts the images – to which we are returning several times whilst reading the text – in the centre of the article. Which suits better in my book. A really stimulating article and please repeat it.
Left one by a large margin. It has 3 levels of contrast and depth. Right one seems split in half diagonally and the lightest part, the foreground has little interest. The left one has a clear subject, the cliff wall and the leading lines work well. I would frame the left one, trash the right if they were mine. Thanks for the discussion.
I would like to see more of these discussions. It made me look at the shots in a whole different way. At first, I liked the one on the left, but after reading your discussion I agree that the right one looks better.
To quote Henry David Thoreau, “It’s not what you look at, it’s what you see”.
I see more in the photo on the right, the light has changed the composition.
And a vote for more of these comparisons is here.
Thanks for the new challenges.
I like the picture on the left. I find the dark rock acts as a base for the light portion of the picture which has more interest than the other picture.y
I agree with many others that this is a good way to involve the readers of your posts in some critical thinking. Not only did I think about the questions about your two photos, but I thought about similar kinds of light/dark, heavy composition at the lower edge of the photo that related to photos I have already taken. Look forward to more.
I prefer the photo on the left as it shows the height of the cliff and the balance of the shot is better.
Yes, more comparisons please.
I like the picture on the left for all the reasons you stated, plus I fell the one on the right has the effect of stopping me half way into the scene.
I like this kind of post with a comparison. Keep them coming.
I agree with Steve’s analysis but the photo on the right has its merits. With the foreground so brightly lit, it immediately draws the eye. The viewer then starts searching the rest of the photo to see what else there is.
I like this kind of article it gets me thinking. A variation on this theme might be a comparison of different post processing treatments of the same capture.
I also prefer the photo on the left. I like that my eye is drawn up toward the lighter portion of the image up to the blue sky and the tree, and I prefer the darker portion near the bottom of the image. These discussions and comparisons are very helpful so I would like to see more. Thanks for this newsletter! I always find something of interest and of help.
I agree with you, Steve. I prefer the first picture (the one on the left). The shaded rock tends to pull you in to see the rocks in the sunlight and seems to make the picture feel more balanced. The other pictures makes me stop at the sunlit rock. I would like to see more comparisons pictures.
Yes, bring on the comparison shots. I need all the help I can get with composition. I would especially like to see some comparison shots that are an original uncropped image and two or three different cropped versions of that image.
Frankly I’d prefer a shot that has light on both the fore and background; If I have to chose, then I’d chose the one on the left as the blue/earthen contrast stands out better and gives more depth to the shot as the eye is naturally drawn to the ‘further’ reaches of the pic.
I LIKE LEFT FEELING OF A BASE DARKER .SEEMS SUN TO YOUR LEFT AND ITIS NATURAL PHOTO.
I was drawn to the left image before I consciously analized it. And after examining it better, I believe what makes it more appealing to me is probably the contrast between sky and rock, but definitely the combination of strong texture and shadows, varied warm colors, the trees on top and the actual shape and position of the upper rocky mountain. It makes the same composition stronger by the added content. The one on the right looks flat in comparison, just some variation in the warm tones with no other added value
I like the one on the left. My eye was drawn to the skyline, whereas the one on the right didn’t have anything so obvious to attract my immediate attention. The angle of the one on the left also added more drama and interest to the photograph.
At first glance, my preference went to the left image. However when I took the time to give each image a good look, I found the right image to be more interesting. My eyes bounced from the bright foreground to the intriguing shaded, cool background.
Definitely, a good exercise.
I don’t like either photo. The contrast of brightness is too great. It looks unreal as the light change is too sharp. It just changes at the edge of the foreground rock. As others have discussed elements in each photo, I can not find a place to rest my eyes in either photo.
I like the idea of comparing photo’s as long as we have the option to like or dislike both.
I find the right more natural. More Red rock
I agree with your assessment. With the darker portion on top, it also changes the color of the sky, which loses it’s “pop.”
I like the one on the left better. I like how the tone is (from top to bottom) dark-light-dark. It creates better separation between the sky and the backgroud rock and creates a more balanced picture.
It’s so subjective though, isn’t it? What is pleasing to my eye is not to another.
I like the side-by-side photo comparisons and suggest that you do more of this program. By looks of the comments above, you have received a lot of response. Keep up the good ideas. thanks
Wow! a great example of the contrast…… like the first one more n agree with all what u said…if only can enhance the forground a bit by editting will be a great pic….thanks for this!
I like the way you teach us about composition. Rather than using lots of words you put two pictures side by side and allow us, readers, to use our eyes and brain to analyze it. Believe me, I am one of your biggest fans from Indonesia. Not only that I like the thinking process behind the content of your articles but I like the way you present your thoughts. It is simple, concise and inspiring! Yes, keep writing Steve!
By the way, I like to get paper copy of your book titled ‘Examples’. You request two weeks for delivery while I’ll be in the USA up to Nov 28. Will you be sending it via post office to my home address in Indonesia?
I prefer the photo on the left for 2 reasons: It is more active, the sunlit swoosh jumps out, in the other photo it is more subdued. Secondly the sunlit surface shows a lot of texture whereas the sunlit portion of the other photo has much less.
I prefer the photo on the left. I like the more bluish sky. I also like the detail of the tree and the shadows and contour of the rock in the sun. Additionally the photo on the left displays more detail with lines and curves on the dark foreground rock. Just my thoughts…thanks for the exercise Steve.
Personally – I like the contrast of the blue sky against the red rock in the photo on the left. But, for the sake of discussion, I’d also love to see a composite of the two photo’s! THIS is the sort of learning-sharing that makes your site a favorite, Steve! Thanks buddy.
My friend in California and I (in Colorado) share our photos and ask for opinions. There are many that are composition decisions and most of the time we agree but sometimes not. Very subjective subject. Enjoyed seeing this and reading the comments.
I prefer the one on the left. The top part of the rock formations draw the eye into the photo and up, giving it more interest. I agree the shadows at the bottom of the picture gives it a foundation. Yes, it would be interesting to see more of these exercises.