k100d + 77mm Ltd + Promatic FTD 4000 flash
4sec
F8.0
ISO 200
center-weighted metering

This is my first real picture of just a flower. Could anyone point me in the right direct of cropping? Attached first is the unedited shot and second is what I thought to be the best way to crop it.

C&C welcome on the picture too.

Thanks!

-sullivan

[alohadave]

My feeling is that the first picture is better from a compostional standpoint. The second one is too centered and boring.

Originally, rules like the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio were intended to be used during cropping because older formats always had to be cropped when printed.

In the first one, the middle of the flower intersects the left vertical line, and the top horizontal line so that it is smack in the middle of a power corner when the rule of thirds is applied. Plus you have great dramatic negative space on the right.

How you crop depends on your usage as well. The first one would be great for editorial usage since you have the huge expanse of space to put copy without interfering with the subject. The second one is good if you are documenting the flower as an illustration.

[dgsullivan]

I was considering printing and framing the picture, but I was worried that the amount of black was overwhelming.

[Ole]

I find that there is two much negative space on number one. Number two is better but cropped too tightly on the right-hand side. The flower is leaning to the right so we need some space to lean into.

[KrisK10D]

Maybe something with a little more room around the bloom like this...

[Peter Zack]

I agree with Ole and KrisK10D's suggestions but also would suggest you take a bit more time when taking the shot. Heavy cropping will greatly dimishing the printed image quality and how much you can enlarge the shot. Consider that when composing the shot to minimize how much you crop later.