Dale, what inspired to to take the photograph? Rhetorical. Maybe holding on to that feeling while working with the image post-processing will help produce a more satisfying image. Personally, I like the original composition over the cropped version. This is just my preference; here are a few points why.
- The original image feel more open, the second version feels visually choked.
- The original image has nice movement: the upper left clouds invite you in and leads you through a zig-zag to the bottom left, then guides back up by the shore rocks into the image. The viewer's eye is invited to explore the entire image by your composition of elements. I think this is really nice.
- The second version causes the viewer's eye to move across the top of the image and out of the upper right side without inviting them to stay and look around.
Only referring to the original image in comments for here on:
- The streaking clouds radiate upward with energy yet inspire the viewer to follow them back into the image. (radial composition supported by the strong opposing visual direction of the lower jetting rocks) This is somewhat like a visual reverberation between the clouds and the shoreline stimulating curiosity.
- Perhaps the element that seems to be missing is already there; the distant mountains. The radial composition, strong horizon line broken by the mountains, delicate mountain colors (seen more in the second version), and the lower third centering of the mountains is, in my opinion, the visual resting point. This image has a subtle quality that could be spoiled if overdone.
- Keeping the upper left of the image darker, much like the original, is important to visually balance the asymmetry of the rocks at the lower left and warmer colors on the left.
Sometime when I get stuck and begin to over think post-processing, I go back to the basics of composition and evaluate each one of these separately to gain a better understanding of how each impacts the image: while always trying to keep the original feeling that inspired me to make the image. "Shape, form, line, value, texture, and pattern"
For example, the shore line contains the strongest of all of these, the water next, then the clouds/sky. "How does this impace the viewer?" The patterned lines of the clouds are a result of value where the line of the shore rocks are sharper and cause strong direction. The horizon line is the strongest line in the image. The delicate line of the distant mountains is the "busiest" line. Our eye is naturally drawn to busier areas and in this case, the mountian line illustrates its back lit shape further reinforcing it as a point of interest.
For me, the more I took the time to practice this approach, the easier it was for me to make decisions while shooting because the concepts learned from post-processing became part of my thought process while taking the image.
Lastly, and this is just my preference, how the final image feels is more important that any other aspect including technical; which I will even ignore and look past to enjoy it. Your original image has a nice feeling. Its lack of a strong point of interest, so many people desire to feel satisfied, may be what makes this image work. Much of Japanese art composition uses large areas as strong composition elements intended to appreciate grandeur without a particular overbearing visual element.
Here is a link to one of my photographs that does not have a strong apparent visual element if you are interested:
http://edwardwald.com/General-Photograph-Collection.php?f=Dancing-Cotton
Best of luck!
