Hi guys and gals, I have been a long time lurker in this forum but have never felt brave enough to put my own work up for criticism.
So I thought I'd jump in at the deep end. I took this photo in Derbyshire, England. I can't decide which I like more the colour or the black and white.
Actually they both work pretty well, though I think I would lean towards the color in this. Just two suggestions or idea's for you.
1st, the lower left corner you have some brush or weeds poking into the frame. Their being out of focus is not helping, and plus they take up too little of the shot. If you want to frame or anchor a corner like that, then get more of that corner filled with that brush. And also, in most cases you want it to be in focus too.
2nd, the horizon isn't dead center, but it's pretty close, so I would crop almost half of that foreground grass out (which helps to eliminate most of that brush in the corner too) so that the shot is a little more balanced.
Thanks for the feedback Jim, all very helpful. I will try cropping out the foreground some more, but I can already see that it will improve the composition, afterall the focus should be on the sky as it is more dramatic
Thanks for all the comments. I would love to do more landscape work but unfortunately I live in London so most of my work is architecture, or portraits. Oh how I envy all you Americans that are blessed with stunning vistas. I just wish I was into photography when I drove from San Diego to San Francisco, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Monument Valley 8 years ago.