Photos like this tell me I really need to work on my photoshop skills. Or wait for overcast days for taking my pictures. Liked the dapples on the face but trying to get the leaves from being too bright just didn't seem to work that well for me.
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Thanks for allowing us to have a closer look at your photograph. It is a fact that on average people look and evaluate an image presented to them in 5 seconds. When we are given the opportunity to really look and interpret the image, that is when we appreciate people like you. And thanks to you, we hope to learn much together.
The process I deploy is first of all to look at your previous work and then look at the currents comments made. I want to have a 'feel' for the person who entrusted me with this responsibility. Only then do I spend time with the image for a critique.
The critique can be both Applied (To the image self) and Theoretical (Attempt to philosophy and theorise about the work). It is important for me to be able to describe, to interpret, to evaluate and even to theorize about it. If I can encourage discourse about your work I will be happy.
In the final analysis, I hope you can learn something from this, take something of it and improve both your skill and self confidence.
So, here goes for your image.
CRITIQUE
You have been very brave taking on a Panda given your available light. The definite black/white is always difficult to get right.
On a very positive point of view your composition is fine, the placement of the panda is commendable.
On the learning side, and we all can learn from this image, I can shortly raise a few points.
The image itself is more a snapshot than an arty picture to be remembered. Harsh, I know, but I do want you to develop your eye to 'see' what is good not good.
Overall, there is just too much in the image, If yo could have zoomed in and get a sharper, more contrasted photo of the head self, this would have been good.
Because of the time of day you took the picture, you could have used a flash to even out the hard shadows, like a fill light. That again would have afforded you the opportunity to work more on contrast and color and even on the sharpening as well.
Taking pictures of animals, always try and get them to show an eye, a well focussed and sharp eye. The way we see animals is their 'catching' our eye with contact.
Most important advise, I think is that you should add contrast, best way with curves, and work on color.
Just remember, if an image is not interesting people will glance over it, marking it down. This was an advanced post processing challenge, you could make the image interesting, being creative and maybe even a bit daring.
You are a new photographer and maybe new to it in every respect. Like me, I needed in the my first years some people to be honest with me and build me up.
You can become good, no doubt. I looked at your other challenge images and just knew you will become better every time.
Do what I did, on advise of my old mentor;
- look at images,
- look at every challenge entry and ask yourself why one scored better/not, more/less,
- read up on photography articles,
- check out YouTube with all their wonderful photography videos
- work on post processing, play with ideas, re-do an image in a number of ways, that way you will develop your eye and your style.
- and enter every challenge with a critical eye
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