Iceland Visit

[Miles]

Attached is an image I took at the golden circle.  Curious which version is preferred and why?
Miles

[Jens Peermann]

The vertical version shows a whole scene while the horizontal take appears incomplete and leaves me disoriented.

[luxborealis]

What would make me prefer one over the other, without knowing anything about the context or the concept you are trying to communicate? I don't mean to be harsh, but there is nothing in either photo that suggests the point of them.

As Jens pointed out, "the vertical shows the whole scene". But, at the same time, the horizontal shows the heather (?), rock, remains of a rock wall, moss and lichen quite well without the unnecessary foreground and sky, so perhaps this is the better version.

And to title your post "Iceland visit" and use the term "golden circle" puts images of geysirs, the Althing and rift valleys "dancing in my head", so I'm a little let down by the images, although the rock is quite volcanic-looking, and they are both technically well-made. Perhaps the wall has historical significance?

[sdwilsonsct]

It seems that the first shows the subject, the clump of coloured vegetation. The second has too much extraneous background.

I would try to stay horizontal for the sake of the wall but use a shorter focal length and get much closer to keep the clump prominent while including a few inches of foreground and perhaps a little sky. Moving the camera to either side might let you balance the clump with a peak in the wall. Selective depth of field might also isolate the subject while providing context.

I agree with Terry that titles are tricky.

[Miles]

Thanks everyone.  Your feedback is appreciated.  I hadn't really thought about giving the image a title, just happened to label it from the visit.  I can now see where that would impact your thoughts.
Miles

[maddogmurph]

What would make me prefer one over the other, without knowing anything about the context or the concept you are trying to communicate? I don't mean to be harsh, but there is nothing in either photo that suggests the point of them.

If I had to pick one I'd pick the second, but neither of them are compelling to me.

[PeterAit]

I prefer the horizontal by a wide margin. The stones and unusual plants are what makes the photo, and the vertical version “wastes” almost half of its area on uninteresting sky, uninteresting trees, and no-as-interesting grass.

[Miles]

Thanks for the additional comments.  I personally prefer the horizontal image as well, Peter and your comments help to identify why.

I find it interesting that when showing images from Iceland to friends and family, I'll consistently get a very positive group response to these seemingly non compelling images, especially among women.  Perhaps the change in presentation from large vistas and waterfalls to a more intimate picture contributes to this effect?

As Luxborealis correctly indicated, the point of the image is missing.  This comment probably best describes why I posted the image and asked for feedback.  The scene was along a path.  No one else bothered to stop to take a picture even after noticing my efforts.  Maybe I should have taken the hint and moved along, but for some reason I like it.  I may test the market with a few prints later in the year to see if it sells.  I'll certainly take the advice offered and come up with a better title when I do.

Thanks again.
Miles