Crop or not?

[juggler]

I can't decide whether there's just too much space around the performer in these. My usual studio stuff with acrobats tends to be quite tight by necessity and I rather liked having a naturally interesting background.

 

[ancient_mariner]

Personally I'd crop down to portrait format for both, possibly square for the first. The problem with these is that the negative ambient space is too busy to be truly negative.

 

[cowboy]

I like the first one as is.
I'd probably crop the second into portrait format.

 

[smudgie49]

I think the space is essential to put the performer into context and to properly show the level of risk they are taking.

 

[juggler]

Thanks folks, much appreciated.

I like the first one as is.
I'd probably crop the second into portrait format.

I'm going to do this.. I've already got plenty of much closer shots.

 

[brman]

I like the first one as is.
I'd probably crop the second into portrait format.

Oddly, I am the opposite. I think the 2nd one looks much cleaner and gives a good impression of space so I would leave it as is.

 

[juggler]

Oddly, I am the opposite. I think the 2nd one looks much cleaner and gives a good impression of space so I would leave it as is.

I entirely understand where you're coming from. I actually like the sense of clutter in the first and think it's curiously honest. Circuses are invariably a bit ragged around the edges and held together with a mixture of glitter, gaffer tape and A-clamps; the visual clutter is part of that for me.

 

[minnnt]

I'd leave both well alone. They're perfik.

 

[juggler]

I'd leave both well alone. They're perfik.

Ta!

 

[Phil V]

The first would possibly benefit from a square crop.

The second, I'd clean up the rhs, take out the lights and vertical line and you're left with negative space just broken with that arc, which isn't a bad line into the performer.

 

[Cistron]

You could drop the blue levels and clone out the light. That might make the negative space less distracting.

edit: oh yes, just as Phil said.

 

[gramps]

I think the space is essential to put the performer into context and to properly show the level of risk they are taking.

I agree.