Went For a Walk, Please Look

[YoungPic]

just went for a walk the other day with my camera, and got 2 shots that i kinda like but would like some criticism

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/JJgolfer/CopyofPhotography034.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/JJgolfer/CopyofPhotography035.jpg

 

[Olympus8MP]

Picture #1
Try not to shoot directly into the sun

Picture #2
If you're going to shoot at small angles to the sun, use a lens hood. This may or may not have helped this pic, as I'm not sure whether you were using one anyway

The composition of the portrait framed picture is better, as it empasizes that little stream better

 

[Sw1tchFX]

well a hood does absolutly nothing for shots with the sun in the frame. It's good that you're looking at the light and shadow though.

 

[YoungPic]

this was just a few random shots i took, and i was using a lens hood

 

[LaFoto]

Well, I clearly prefer the first photo over the second because the shadows (which I guess is what intrigued you most in that given light situation) are longer, more prominent, more "subject" there. The little stream is a nice addition but too dark and too much in the shadows to be THE subject.

Therefore: 1.
But I'd crop it a bit. The tree on the very left need not be inside your pic. After that, in case you want to maintain the usual print ratios, you might crop in from above. The one shadow-throwing tree has been cropped into, anyway, so you can crop that one further and maybe go town to the top of the second, farther away shadow-throwing tree.

Try it and let me know if my idea works, will you?
(I could to it, too, but ... you know, it is your photo. And even though you say that all your pics are OK to edit, I don't want to fiddle with other members' work all randomly and too deliberately).