Last week I shared two crops of the same image, that of a Wood Duck and its reflection, and asked for your preferences. In the first image I centered the composition on the line where the bird meets its reflection.
In the second composition I positioned the head in the reflection just above the bottom of the frame.
Three times as many of our members preferred the second composition. Comments converged on the fact that the “real” duck was easier to view, but in doing so made the head in the reflection a great secondary visual target. One person noted the lilly pond leaves in the upper right of the frame and noted that they were less cramped in the second photograph.
Those that preferred the first image felt like they could see the “real” bird better because it was above the centering line.
As for me, I almost always prefer placing the head in the reflection near the bottom of the frame. This puts the “real” bird in the middle of the composition, which is the primary visual target. This does leave a bit more space at the top of the frame so watch out for distractions there.
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