How This Photograph Was Made: Grand Canyon Daytime Part 2: Let’s talk about composition

Good composition is like a suspension bridge - each line adds strength and takes none away.
Robert Henri

1 - Introduction
This is part two of a two-parts essay.  In the previous essay, part one, we looked at how the image was created, from field work to studio work, including shooting, converting, stitching, processing and image optimization. Here, in part two, we are going to look at the composition of the image, not only in terms of how the image was composed in the field but also in terms of what we can learn from comparing the different compositions that I considered when creating this image.  In this regard a few words may be useful in order to explain how I approach composition. Let’s start with that.
Because of my approach to field work, I return to my studio with many different options for the composition of the image.  You may say ‘well, what is your approach to field work then?’  Good question!  In short, my approach to field work is to shoot liberally, not being concerned w...