Many compositions can work in both landscape and portrait formats. When I posted the previous version elsewhere, one person found the swirl a little too overwhelming as a part of the composition although I was presenting it as the composition. But…I did turn the camera for a vertical composition.
In the horizontal version, I was trying to eliminate the bright woods as well as emphasize the swirlpool. In this version, I added the full balanced rock as well as some foreground elements which makes the swirl more a part of the whole rather than the entire. Which do you prefer? Here’s a quick link to the other for comparison.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
I like your second approach far more than the previous one. This photo is not too heavy and seems more balanced. Nice shot, Steve.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Yvonne. It is interesting that each has appeal to different people over the other.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This one by a little. It puts the elements into perspective better for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like the way this is going, Jim. Both images are getting some good critiques. Thanks.
LikeLike
Both are really good, but I like previous, landscape orientation, better. The composition feels more pleasing than in this one. Also, this version looks a bit over-sharpened for me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Izudin.
LikeLike
I definitely prefer the vertical. The horizontal is really all about the swirl, and for me the swirl just isn’t a strong enough subject to carry the whole image. But in the vertical it become a piece of the greater scene, and a nice complement to the attractive foreground rocks and leaves, and the luminous woods in the background.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Jackson. As the maker, I like each for different reasons. I think you make some good points about the second having some harmony amongst the various elements.
LikeLike
Oh … the first one … no contest. The first is more balanced … more harmonious … easier to consider and to think about. I think that all of the individual elements in this portrait view are interesting … but, taken together, there’s too much going on. My eye doesn’t know where to look, so it looks everywhere and gets a bit overwhelmed. Also, this view cuts of the falls which is unfortunate … my eye wanders and wants to go to the right … and hits the edge of the image. Put my vote down for the first. D
PS: You forced me to choose … so, I did what I was told To be honest … both are beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am pleased that you took the time to analyze both and make your choice accordingly, David. I appreciate when folks will honestly say what they like and don’t like about an image. Sometimes we are too close to our own work and it takes a neutral view to see some things that are otherwise rationalized as just part of what was there. Your response to the amount of stimuli in the second image is much like my initial reaction upon arriving at this spot.
I posted these in reverse intentionally. This was my first take and yesterday’s my moving in and eliminating several things. It is interesting to see that each has its pluses and minuses for different viewers.
LikeLike
Call me an equal-opportunity swirler because I think it works both horizontally and vertically. I like your word “swirlpool.” The concentric rings made me think of lava that was cooling and solidifying.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, it is a pool with a swirl so…. just seemed natural. Each has its own merits, I guess. I have a fondness for both too.
LikeLike
For the swirl, I like the horizontal format, where the swirl is the subject. In the second I just wanted to linger in the bright trees.
LikeLike
You followed my thinking, Melissa. Well, sort of. I did not want the brightness in the trees to be too distracting which is why the first excludes them. But I am glad that it works for you.
LikeLike
It looks like a gnarled tree knot, Steve. Very effective like this.
LikeLike
Can you tell how old the pool is by counting the swirl rings, Andrew?
LikeLike
Dendrochronology of whirl pools? Now there’s an idea.
LikeLike
And who said there was nothing new under the sun?
LikeLike
I much prefer the other photo, with its emphasis on the swirl. But of course, my comment over there gives a little more context for my preference. Even where there’s no obvious water movement, swirls can appear, as this one did in my marina, during pollen season.
LikeLike
That is a fantastic watery abstract, Linda. For some reason, it makes me think of some of Beardsley’s works although no one piece comes to mind. It also reminds me of this:
LikeLike
Pingback: 12.13.14 Amethyst Brook Cascade and Falls | Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog