I need help cropping!

[triggerhappy]

I posted this in the share section, but I would like some critique.

I really want to like this photo. I love the way that the water swirls around the black posts at the bottom of the photo. However I find this photo hard to look at. It doesn't seem to sit easily on the eye.

Is there any way that I can crop it to improve the look/feel, or do I need to abandon it? (I should add that I have already cropped it to remove the sky)

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Loose the top half? Or if that post wasn't there on it's own perhaps...

 

[triggerhappy]

Yeah I tried that. Its a definite improvement but still not great. I think I'll have to go back and shoot this one again.

By the way Hertz, are you bored or something? It seems like I bump into you everywhere I turn on this forum today!

Edit: on second thoughts, perhaps you are just looking for Mistress PG's dungeon.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Yeah. 300 chanels on satellite and crap on all of them.
Mind you, I am pretty fast on the old post.

 

[Picksure]

I like the feel of the photo.
I would think the post is a spot to anchor a boat? Maybe a marker for the depth of the water? If so, IMO, it adds to the photo.

 

[jadin]

DO NOT CROP IT!

Sorry, This photo rocks my world! You have two halves, the top which is mostly negative space and a little speck of a dock or something. And the bottom half, which is waves crashing on a wave breaker. The pier is a leading line to the top half point. The black and white is perfect. The exposure is perfect. The contrast is perfect. I love everything about it.

The second you crop this it'll lose ... something. I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[jadin]

Ummm, I change my mind.

On re-thinking crop some off the left and some off the right. It's too wide right now. Make it something like this.

(let me know if you want it removed).

 

[canonrebel]

I wonder how it would look if it were rotated about 45 degrees to the right.

Do you have the original to rotate and then crop out a standard aspect ratio (8x10). Display the subject diagonally.

 

[whitney]

oh i say don't do anything to it. i like it so much just the way it is, there's just something about it that's really cool.

 

[jadin]

Do you have the original to rotate and then crop out a standard aspect ratio (8x10).

Or 8x12

 

[triggerhappy]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Picsure: Its a groyne, which is built to stop long-shore drift. The point you refer to is the end of the groyne.

jadin: Thankyou! I really like your new crop of it. I think that's the one I'll go with.

canonrebel: Good idea but unfortunately this was shot in portrait, so there isn't enough to try the rotation.

Thanks again everyone!