To paraphrase our Secretary of State, it takes a village to capture a good image. So, not having any formal training in photography myself, I humbly submit a question to the collective wisdom of my gentle readers: which of these two compositions better expresses the beauty of the subject?
These pictures are of the same cluster of flowers, but obviously one shows more of the context. My instinct leans toward focusing on the single bloom, but a designer I know believes context is essential. I would greatly appreciate any feedback from folks with more photography experience than I have.
And here are a few other shots from this past gorgeous weekend.
Hummingbird and Red Hot Poker
San Francisco Urban Nature 
Beautiful Azalea!
Thanks so much!
I don’t have any formal photography training either, but between these two pictures I would choose the one with more flowers showing – it’s very warm and inviting and you start to wonder where the flowery path might lead.
The single flower would work better if you didn’t see the partial petals from the two other flowers.
But that’s just my opinion :)
Much appreciated! And I see what you mean. The first one tells more of a story (the path), while the centrality of the second one is lessened by the other petals. Things to keep in mind in future photos!
There is no question that the first is the better shot. You have context and texture (contrast the grass with the flowers) and you’re following the rule of thirds.
The Favrets are in accord. ;-) I hadn’t thought of texture as a composition element. Thanks, BIL!
I agree with everything Colin said.
Also, you may be interested in reading Saxon Holt on Gardening Gone Wild. He’s been doing periodic mini garden photography workshops on that blog. Very informative! Try this link: http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?cat=2541
Thanks so much for the advice and suggestion, Cherry! I thought I had replied sooner, but apparently was thwarted by WP. Regardless, much appreciated!