Line or no line?

limr · Oct 3, 2013

Recently, a cat shelter near where I live had a terrible fire. Sadly, they lost 8 cats but the good news is that they saved the rest (more than 150). But now they have to rebuild. Most animal shelters manage on the tightest of budgets in the best circumstances, and so rebuilding is going to be a real challenge.

The shelter is having several fundraisers, including a silent auction. My own tight budget doesn't really allow much room for offering money and I don't have a lot of time for volunteering, so I thought of donating a framed picture for the auction might be a small way to help out.

I'm narrowing down some cat pictures (I figured that would be the natural subject for a cat shelter fundraiser!) and might in the future ask for help for narrowing down my short list. For the moment, I would like to ask opinions about two versions of the same picture (which has already made my short list).

Which would work better, line or no line?

cgipson1 · Oct 3, 2013

I prefer the first... of the two. No line!

ronlane · Oct 3, 2013

Designer · Oct 3, 2013

I prefer no line, and perhaps a square crop as well.

GDHLEWIS · Oct 3, 2013

No line fore sure

Derrel · Oct 3, 2013

I like the one with the line, which acts as a counterpoint to the diagonal line on the pavement surface.

JTPhotography · Oct 3, 2013

Derrel said:
I like the one with the line, which acts as a counterpoint to the diagonal line on the pavement surface.

+1

RichieT · Oct 3, 2013

Prefer no line. Line wouldn't be bad if it wasn't shooting him thru the ears.

amolitor · Oct 3, 2013

Either leave the line, or crop this bad boy way down. Why are you a mile away from the cat?

It's a nice picture with the line, but it's not really a picture of a cat. If you want a picture of a cat, you need to get rid of most of the frame as well as the line. I think you want a picture of a cat.

terri · Oct 3, 2013

amolitor said:
Either leave the line, or crop this bad boy way down. Why are you a mile away from the cat?

It's a nice picture with the line, but it's not really a picture of a cat. If you want a picture of a cat, you need to get rid of most of the frame as well as the line. I think you want a picture of a cat.

I agree, since what you are doing is trying to show what the shelter is offering. The cat's shadow is awesome here! I would crop out the right side of this frame, keep the line out of the image completely, and turn it into a vertical view. My two cents.

Bless you for helping.

sleist · Oct 3, 2013

Keep the line, but move it up so it doesn't intersect the cat's head.
The cat will sit nicely within the triangle.

limr · Oct 3, 2013

Thanks to all of you for the great input!

That line...I like it but it was bugging me.

amolitor said:
Either leave the line, or crop this bad boy way down. Why are you a mile away from the cat?

He was such a friendly little thing that as soon as I got closer to his level, he'd come over for head scritches

Had to take the picture from a standing position or I wouldn't get it at all. He followed us around for at least 10-15 minutes before he ran off and left us for some little strumpet with a bowl of fish scraps.

It's a nice picture with the line, but it's not really a picture of a cat. If you want a picture of a cat, you need to get rid of most of the frame as well as the line. I think you want a picture of a cat.

Derrel said:
I like the one with the line, which acts as a counterpoint to the diagonal line on the pavement surface.

Never thought of it that way. With the line, it's more a picture of shadows and angles that happens to contain a cat. Without the line, it's a picture of a cat. I had the space on the right because I generally like a wider crop. Too tight feels a little claustrophobic. But once I take the line out, I can see how it turns into dead space instead of context or negative space.

RichieT said:
Prefer no line. Line wouldn't be bad if it wasn't shooting him thru the ears.

I think that's exactly what's been bugging me. Overall I like the line, but I wish it were farther away from the cat. Which brings me to...

sleist said:
Keep the line, but move it up so it doesn't intersect the cat's head.
The cat will sit nicely within the triangle.

I think I like this idea the best, but I haven't a clue as to how I could manage that. I can handle some cloning - I've gotten much better at it after having to clone out about a gazillion dust spots from film scans, but I don't get much fancier than that on the software.

So here's a square crop. Better? (I did try a vertical but it ends up not really having enough space on top to make it look truly vertical. Just looked off balance.)