Cathedral Valley (+Alt)

Here is the same image but with a crop of the right side. I go back and forth on the crop. I like the background on the right, but cropping the right balances the image. Thoughts? 

What an interesting, and common, problem. Great foreground. Great background. How to combine the two for a strong composition? You've done a good job with this yet it looks postcardsy.  Good separation between bg and fg. The repost is slightly better IMO.

I like the cropped version as it balances better.  You have great front to back sharpness.  What aperture did you use?

Igor and Jake, thank you for your comments. Jake, shot at f18. Thank you for asking as I overlooked it when I gave the techs when posted. 

A terrific "red rocks" view, Scott.  You've pulled the long vista, the scattered formations (and the foreground snag), and a lovely sky together very well here.  I like the original because the extra space on the right adds well to the sense of distance/space that for me is such an important aspect of this part of the country.

Scott, This is a beautiful image and what a wonderful view. Great colors overall and I really like the sky in this. I'm going back and forth on the crop and for the same reasons as you. I like the extra distant background in the first but the crop is a more balanced comp I guess. Think I lean towards the first one. Beautiful capture!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.

The longer I look at it, the more I prefer the first version. In both the tree trunk is roughly at centre. But the centre of gravity of the 'rockscape' is slightly eccentric to the right whereas the centre of gravity of the 'cloudscape' is slightly eccentric to the right. Therefore, imho, the non-cropped version is more balanced than the cropped one. I especially like the big rock with the small clouds hovering above and I prefer its position relative to the frame of the first version. Just my thoughts. Well composed anyway.

I will say to begin with that I like this a lot.  This image shows that we don't always have to put away our camera after the magic hour. 

Here are a couple of my thoughts:
1.  The original uncropped version emphasizes more of the expansiveness of the landscape while the cropped version seems to emphasize more of the vertical nature of the Cathedral formations.

2.  The centered horizontal and vertical axes in the composition become much more obvious in the cropped version to me.  The horizontal axis is obvious as it is the horizon line.  The vertical axis is less obvious, but it starts with the Juniper and continues up to the pointy rock formation and continues all the way up to the apex of the arch in the clouds.  In the original version, the vertical axis is just a bit off centered.  I'm not necessarily a stickler to the compositional "rules", but I think that I like the off-centered vertical axis a little better.

3.  I really like the arch in the clouds.  I think that adds a lot of interest in the sky. 

In the end my vote is for the original comp.  I think the original aspect ratio seems to suit the landscape overall and it helps to off-center the vertical axis.
 

Something to consider in future is to not center anchor tree and keep its branches from entering the formation in bg.

Rick, thank you for your suggestions. However, I composed this image very carefully taking into consideration the four formations, the dead juniper, the arching clouds, and the background. I, in fact, composed this to so the dead juniper would not obstruct any of the formations. Believe me when I say this was the best compromise, and I was not about to break branches off the juniper for the sake of my shot. A bit higher shooting viewpoint might have helped but was not possible because I don't carry a ladder while hiking. Not centering the juniper was not really an option given the elements I wanted to include in the image and the fact that I did not want the juniper to obstruct the formations, and the centered juniper does not bother me (or, evidently, anyone else who has commented so far), but I will be interested to see if it bothers anyone else.   

Hi Scott,

This shot is very nice.  I like the expansiveness of the original crop over your second version.   This one is super awesome.  Well done...............................Jim

I'm gonna vote for the cropped version, Scott.  To me it loses nothing and is more balanced.  Sorry about the late response, had to go out of town for a few busy days.  Lovely image.  

Beautiful imaging of Cathedral again, Scott.  You got me to go to this place and I did a couple of weeks ago.  Thanks!