thanks alot guys, i've been working on quite a few, i just haven't had time. i am in iraq, so we are getting really busy. thanks for the comments, keep them coming
I actually agree. The picture didnt really need editing.
Sometimes people do it to show an alternate look. The more ways you train yourself to see a scene, the more likely you are to find the shot that appeals to you most.
Editing shouldn't be taken as a criticism of a shot, but a chance to see someone elses pov of the shot. In the end the artist always makes his own decission and everyone else lives with it.
That's what I thought or I wouldn't have bothered.
Truth is take a look at this one and the first shot of the stairs you posted and see how far you have come. In your own version look how much more simple and dramatic the shot is. So you are the poster child for learning about compostion through critique.
I did and I did... One of the really greats of photography used to say sometimes a part is bigger than the whole... A good think to keep in mind when you look at things. I like the closeup to.