Reading & Writing...and the Photograph

#1 is my pick.
It has all my favorite elements, minus a gleaming pen nib, but really, that's such a small thing. I'd say the two biggest determining factors were the back-lit page and the coil shadow...and then there's all those great squiggly shadows on the open page...and...upon closer scrutiny, you can actually see the window pane and treeline in the reflection on the spectacle lens! (not that I'll try to paint that—oh, no, not me). 

Although #2 seems popular, the open page has more to offer in the way of breaking the black. The negative space plays as much into the composition as the other elements and I do so love the dramatic effect. The black also leaves much potential for expanding the perimeter to the left, and fading into dark for an effective header. I've already messed around with some lettering and I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with it.

 

Even as a piece of wall art, I think it holds it own, at least that's what Todd says. He thinks it implies tall ceilings and wide open spaces. The question it brings to my mind is, What—out in the black—called the reader away?