I think of the first shot in terms of videography.
This is a wide establishing shot. Everything is equally in focus which flattens
the image. In addition, the subject does not break the frame on any side, so
there is very little to draw the eye. There isn’t anything particularly
interesting about the composition, which also makes the subject less
interesting. However, you do get a clear understanding of what is in this
picture.
Conversely, this second shot is much closer to the
object, so it breaks the frame on three out of 4 sides, and there are varying
degrees of focus. It’s still clear from this picture what we are looking at,
but the perspective is less expected since we are looking at this object from
somewhat below the object itself. The addition of an out of focus foreground
with an in focus background creates more interest and pulls the eye around the
picture more. As such, I prefer the second picture over the first.
