I was just recently commissioned for a campaign and shot about 1000 images to capture final image for this well known sports company. In the end, it came down to the two images above. As is usually the case, the final image is tough to choose, with lots of factors under consideration, lots of stakeholders picking their favorite. There was much debate.
I’ve posted stuff like this before and was really excited by the resulting discussion, so I figured I’d throw it out there again… WHICH IS BETTER, A or B?
Vote in the comments. Love to know ‘why’ if you care to explain your thoughts. 600 px wide versions of each image after the jump…hit [‘continue reading’ below]. After you all weigh in, I’ll tell you which one was used and why.
This is PHOTO A, below.
THIS is PHOTO B, below.
For me, A allows me to focus on the runner rather than trying to look through the sunspot to find the runner. I’m sure you’ll prove me wrong.
B….In picture A, the light post has the same importance than the subject. Picture B has a more dramatic meaning than A…
I revise mine… Didn’t notice that they are two separate pictures entirely… I’d go with B, the composition is better. But get rid of the flare.
My initial response was, “this must be one of those ‘the client picked the crappy one again’ type of posts. My vote is for A hands down, but after reading many of the responses, it seems B isn’t as bad (at least based on opinion) as I thought. I think the sun flare is so overwhelming that the only reason to choose B is if the ad required a lot of clear space for text. In that case, A might be a little busy and distract from the typography, while B would leave a nice circle in the center.
I still prefer A from a purely photographic standpoint.
I’m going with B. Given that this for a sporting goods ad campaign, the model should presumibly be the focus. The extreme flare in B lessens the distractions and provides something for the model to “emerge” from.