This one version of the same picture. This one has been cropped to remove dark leaves at top. Which is the better image? Or should I attempt to dodge the leaves, keeping in mind that my dodging skills are not all that great...
This one conveys the image of fog much better. The dark leaves creates a contrast that doesn't reflect the reality of the day. It also cuts out some of the sky, leaving just a hint of light in the sky which is often the case with fog where light is there but cannot quite break through.
Fog isn't easy to capture in a print. It's either not obvious enough or it envelopes the scene too much and there's not enough to see. Good balance here
The leaves are distracting because they are not connected to anything; they're just dropping onto the top of the image. While I prefer the format of the uncropped image, this is definitely the better of the two.
I find this to be the better one,
the dark leaves at the top distracted from the tones that are in the balance of the photography. This keeps the mood intack and easier to look at.