IMO:
I much prefer the latter.
1) The first doesn't really do it for me, but the reasons are not obvious, which means the picture certainly has good fundamentals. Firstly I think that were I sitting in that exact position at that time, my eye would detect some
detail about the moon, such as craters or what have you. Those are not evident in your picture, maybe supposedly so-- but I'm just saying I would like it better because my mind wants there to be craters etc visible. In addition, the moon seems sort of unnaturally white. Some times it does look pretty crisp, but adding the smallest bit of yellow or orange to your circle would make it look a little more believable. Lastly, DOF. Hmm. Well usually in landscape type shots the camera focuses at infinity, which makes all objects very crisply in focus, whether on the horizon or in the foreground. I can see by the grass and road in the foreground that the case is not so for this picture. The problem for me lies with this-- if part of the picture is out of focus, than naturally the subject or area of interest of the picture would be
in focus. So I look at this picture and see the grass is a little soft and immediately start to search for the subject. This leads me toward the center of the picture where there is a sign, telephone poles and wires, trees, and a very white circle...a little cluttered. A side note, vignetting only really appears in the bottom left corner. If you like it, I might suggest making sure it is even...the other corners should show some too. If you don't, we all miss things from time to time.
2) This image is outstanding. I love the lighting, silhouette of the tree branches against the sky, subtle reflection off the road, the mood, compo. I can imagine the scene and believe I am standing there seeing that. There is a certain peace about it too-- like a quiet.
Very well done!
Hope this helped,
Elby
