Which is better? Why?

[wcrosman]

One or two. Two incorporates suggestions from naturespaces forum.
1.

2.

[JVogy]

i would say #2. i like the slight recovery of detail in the grass, deer, and sky. also, the way the sky changes color on the left side to me makes this feel like a deeper image.

one heck of a shot too....i dont live near places where deer stick around long enough for photos, my first deer shot was just this month.

[wcrosman]

Thanks JVogy. These didn't stick around long at all plus this was shot at 300mm with a 1.4 tele-converter on on a 1.6 crop factor. Thus the perceived focal length is 672mm. OBTW its hand held.

[Bruce Painter]

Yep. #2 the darker shadows keep if from looking washed out.

Bruce

[Theron]

I like #2 but my eye is constantly drawn to the darker deer. If the right hand deer could be darkened a bit I think it would give the image more balance.
John

[wcrosman]

Thanks all. #2 seems to be the consensus both here and on naturescapes

[JVogy]

its a great catch Tom.

[jpreston]

I like 2 the best as well. The added contrast helps the deer's breath stand out better.