It shows what can be done with relatively simple kit. The thing I found with older digital cameras is that the shutter speed can be a little slow resulting in subject movement. I think perhaps the fox suffers from this. It is something you can use creatively if you are aware of it and is worth keeping in mind if you want sharp pics. The old adage of holding the arms close to the body, feet firmly planted a little way apart and squeezing the trigger gently once you have exhaled can go a long way, particularly if the camera has no image stabilisation. In other words film cameras and older digital cameras. Good tonal range and composition in both shots IMO.
Square format is well worth exploring in my view but Andreas Feininger is not a fan. He writes:
"... Photographers working with square format cameras, deprived of the ability to evaluate visually the differences between horizontal and vertical view, usually develop a tendency to compose all their pictures in such a way that the subject entirely fills the square format. This, of course, leads to stereotyped pictures. Photographers finding themselves so disposed should make a serious effort to correct this weakness, i.e., compose their pictures in accordance with the requirement of the subject, even if this means wasting part of the negative through cropping, during enlarging or masking a colour transparency. ..."
I wondered if he practiced what he preached and checked my copy of his photobook "America". I couldn't find a single square format photograph although he often presents images with a 5x4 aspect ratio which is not nearly as wide as most formats offered by modern cameras or mobile phones. His comment was aimed at TLR users who only had the choice of a square format neg so I suspect he was thinking in terms of a mild crop, by which I mean nearly square.
I have submitted square images to camera club competitions with mixed results but they can score because they are different from the rest. Perhaps the passage of time has given them some kind of interest.
It will be interesting to hear what others think.
