I agree with Paul, the watermark is very distracting and competes for attention.
I like them both, but perhaps blur the head in #2 while keeping the paw sharp? Just a thought but then the spot is on the head - actually, I think I'd prefer no paw in #2
Thank you for the comments. I was mainly concerned about the pp, these are pulled from my site and I didn't even think to remove the watermark, but I agree.
I'll play with some different crops to see what works best.
1st has nice expression but the top above does not complement the picture. It would be much better to be in landscape, have the same left frame and leave his paws in with some material to the right.
2nd seems to me again like it would be better in landscape (because it follows the line of the body). If you have more to work with I would frame left to get the 2nd paw, go landscape and leave space to the right. I would leave less space below and more above.
I don't find the first one very exciting, but I love the mood in the second one. I would actually expand the blackness/background a bit on the left in order to leave room for an additional modification (landscape would also work): soften the edge of the bear to give a perception that the bear sort of melts into the background. You can do this by duplicating the layer, strong gaussian blur, adjusting blend mode to soft lighting and then erasing away the layer around the paw in photoshop. I think the paw gives the photo an interesting sense of movement, and giving a sense of the bear's head being further back would emphasize the point.
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