I think it's close. Having the apple bin and the picker in the same shot would be a good thing. I would approach it with a longer focal length (so the picker would be a bit larger) and a lower angle (so you could place the picker closer to the bin). Stepping back a bit would make the picker a bit larger relative to the bin. You can use your fingers to reduce the field of view of your phone camera.


https://static.uglyhedgehog.com/upload/2024/1/19/485544-_ee_497f_93d8_7e2cf8e9484a.jpg

I actually really like the subtlety of the original. The left side of the apple box leads nicely to the silhouette of the picker. I like the contrast between the straight lines of the box, the rounded forms of the apples, and the dappling of the leaves. I like the luminance contrast between the box and the shadows. I like the color contrast between the saturated box and applies and the desaturated hues in the shadows.

And honestly, I think the story of the first image is much more compelling. To me, the second picture is a lovely shot of a bunch of apples, but doesn’t have the more interesting environment that tells the journey of the apples and the love of the picker.

In a perfect world I’d like to see the picker a little larger in the frame to make it a bit more obvious, for example by standing back a little farther with a tighter lens. But I know you were shooting with an iPhone, presumably as the camera you had with you. That’s also something that could be done in post processing if you are so inclined. But either way, I find your first post in the thread compelling.