Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!

THis is an example of less than careful analysis of the scene. This absolutely gorgeous piece of driftwood was lovely to behold, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is easy to photograph. The whole shot is seen below but it has a number of problems with it.

There is too much sand in the bottom right, yet if I crop out the bottom, I lose the line across the bottom of the 'bulb' and where it meets the sand - which I like. There are distractions in various black lumps on the 'bulb' which really don't add to the composition.

Sometimes the larger whole just won't make an image. Usually when you try to crop - either before shooting or after, the pieces turn out to be too week to stand on their own, occasionally you get lucky. Far better to crop before shooting than after. For one thing, you can possibly prevent the parts being too week to make it and for another, you are recording a bigger more detailed file.