Which One?

[Brian Moore]

Attended a performance of The Nutcracker last weekend. After the show, I was delighted to observe the cleanup crew come on stage with the backdrop and backlighting in place so I made my way to the front and, using the stage floor to steady my Olympus XA, I took a couple of shots. I had no way to see through the viewfinder so, as usual, I just estimated the positioning and hoped for the best.

The first image is the original and the second is a crop to eliminate distractions. Which one is the better?

I'd be grateful for your opinions.

 

[Beth Anthony]

second. the first has too many distractions for me. the light on the top right being the biggest distraction, the guy on the left coming in second. wouldn't mind seeing the person/people on the right go either (or maybe just the light or whatever that bright thing is), but i like that dark area, it gives the scene some grounding imo.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I kind of like the giant (!) on the left...

 

[Kev Pugh]

Once again Brian in total keeping with your Ballet shots from last year. Really like them , as for which one....I like the guy on the left in the first , but I find the lighting at the top right a bit of a distraction, if you could crop the top only, maybe a 16:9 then I think the guy on the left would give the scene some sense of proportion and he leads me along the entire scene from left to right into the dark area, whereas, in the second that doesn't work for me because he isn't there...so it seems to be missing the introduction..........great stuff mind, will there be more from this years performances?......

 

[Brian Moore]

Beth, Rob and Kev,...I appreciate the suggestions very much.

It was/is the light at the top that bothers me most so I'll get rid of that. To be honest I'm not sure if the half-man on the left bothers me enough to crop him, although I'd prefer he was a complete body. I think, however, he gives some balance to the image.


Kev: Very good of you the mention my previous ballet images. My wife and I participated in a local production for some 4 consecutive years. Our girls were involved with dance company that produced the show. All the ballet shots you saw before were from those 4 years. (A certain monsieur Brassai was my inspiration, after I stumbled upon a wonderful image of his taken backstage at the Follies Bergere during the 1930s. I thought, "I'm gonna give that a try!" And I took a lot of backstage pictures in those 4 years.) However, this year we did not participate since both of our girls are now gone on to other dance and life related activities. The image above was taken following a performance (much bigger than the one we used to be involved with) up in Los Angeles. My daughter's boyfriend's little sister was performing. Anyway,...thank you, Kev.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.

 

[Hamish Gill]

Its definitely the light thing at the top that is the main distraction!
I quite like the half person, but im not sure I would feel comfortable with a wide crop ... how annoying of me

I do like though, the amount of motion blur is perfic!

 

[Brian Moore]

Thanks, Hamish. I think a little more on the left and a little less on the right and a little off the top would have worked. Like a short back and sides,....almost.

 

[Ahmad Bhai]

Brian i think you already know it is the somewhat lonely lost in thought gent who makes the photo for me.
They way he is lit, the diffused lighting, shadow, softness just adds to the melancholy.

 

[Brian Moore]

Brian i think you already know it is the somewhat lonely lost in thought gent who makes the photo for me.
They way he is lit, the diffused lighting, shadow, softness just adds to the melancholy.

I feel the same way, Ahmad. Just wish the image was better balanced. Thank you.

 

[Pete Askew]

Excellent again Brian. And I too like the figure on the left. I agree with Hamish that it is the lights that distract and would crop them out. If you want to keep the original aspect ratio, I'd lose a bit on the right. I love the background.

 

[Brian Moore]

Excellent again Brian. And I too like the figure on the left. I agree with Hamish that it is the lights that distract and would crop them out. If you want to keep the original aspect ratio, I'd lose a bit on the right. I love the background.

That's exactly what I did after seeing all the responses. Kept the half man on the left, took a wee bit off the right side, and cropped out the light on the top. Here it is, Pete:


After Show Afterglow | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Pete Askew]

Damn near perfect I reckon. I love the diagonals in the light and the way they echo the action and the direction of the one watching.

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

Brian fantastic image.The first for myself, the left side figure does frame the scene well and drawing the eye back from the far right figure to the center. The left figure also gives the image as a whole depth .

 

[Brian Moore]

Damn near perfect I reckon. I love the diagonals in the light and the way they echo the action and the direction of the one watching.

Much obliged, Pete. (I am indebted to Miss Sarah for the diagonals and echoes etc., that you mention.) Thanks again, Pete.

- - - Updated - - -

Brian fantastic image.The first for myself, the left side figure does frame the scene well and drawing the eye back from the far right figure to the center. The left figure also gives the image as a whole depth .

Thank you very much, Julian. I couldn't let that guy on the left go. I needed him to frame the image, just as I needed the folks on the right. I never thought however about the depth he reinforces. Thanks again, Julian.