p.1 #2 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
I prefer #2 Patrick... great capture.
#3
#4 WOW!!! What a thrill to be shooting so close to action like that... I'm assuming the bears must not show any aggression towards the photographers
Wonderful set... TFS.
Kirk
Nov 02, 2012 at 11:01 PM
David Leask Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
Fine shots Patrick. Of the first two I prefer the second one - super action! You got mighty close to the bears!
David
p.1 #4 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
Nice shots, all of them. I'll take the looser first crop, as I get a greater understanding of context and the distance already covered by the bear as he got to the water edge. It's clear he's moving forward in crop 1; less so in crop 2.
Would love to have an experience like this someday.
p.1 #11 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
Great capture!
I love #1 more, but i think it might be better if you cut off a little bit from the right side. The water on the left side is very beatiful, and it shows the power of the bear. But there's nothing on the right side. We can leave some room for the imagination by cutting off the right side.
p.1 #12 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
Great shots!
I like #1 more, it conveys the movement better.
The lack of distance in #4 just makes me nervous, but I am used to "hungry" bears looking for food. These ones appear to have just what they want to eat.
p.1 #13 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
Kirk, Anthony, I went with Michael Francis Photography, (clickie link to web page) he has been leading trips here for 17 years and those bears do see people but not too many. They are just interested in catching and eating fish and concerned about each other. There is plenty of food for them, they will get close if they want to. Day one with first bear going by I was nervous, don’t make eye contact… we were the fly on the wall in their world being respectful of their space.
Image number 4 the bear had caught a fish way to the right but was feeling nervous of another bear and was just moving by and keeping an eye on the other bear. The bear moved more off to our left in some tall grass and ate the fish.
Rules, rules, rules. Thanks all for bringing out some thoughts for cropping. If it was not for the bears head looking so far right. I do see and agree that #1 has a story of action and movement that is more complete. So break a rule and put the bear more center leaving room for his eyes to look right. How much tighter of a crop off of the right can be done without there being enough open space for to bear to look into? But that puts the main subject further right.
p.1 #17 · More Alaska Coastal Bears*Images are Back*What crop is a better choice?
If this were a documentary photo of the physics of bears splashing, #1 would be better. But, contrary to the consensus, I think #2 is much better aesthetically. It focuses the viewer's eye on the bear's expression, the solid water coming off its paws, and includes the major part of the splash. Compared with #1, the residual splash and vegetation to our left of the #2 crop is a hum-drum dilution of the major action and distracts attention from the dramatic focus of the image. In addition, for whatever human reason, an animal looking into the image space is more attractive than its looking at the outside border. Although it's the same base photo, the second crop increases the relative space between the bear's gaze and the direction of the gaze. To me, it's a no-contest.
