Shadows IIIby
duffloopComment by Aghris: Greetings from the Critique Club:
First impression and overall look:
My first impression of this photo is one of confusion. I had to look a few times before I realised what I saw. This is both a pro and a con, as it makes for an interesting shot that you want to come back to, but a con because the eye does not have anything to rest on. The first thing you look at is the shadow, as that is the dominant part of the image, but the eye tends to drift to the dog because there is more detail to be found there. Then the two parts of the image contend for dominance, making it an uneasy picture.
Technical and post processing:
Technically, this shot is done well. Everything is in focus and the lighting is well distributed. I do think the contrast could be a bit higher, making the shadows a bit darker. I would also crop a bit tighter on the right side, although that is a point of debate. With this crop you have the shadow centered in the image, but the dog looks a bit shoved aside. With a tighter crop, the dog would be centered, but your shadow might be off balance. This is also again because of the two parts of the image that fight for the eye's attention.
Meeting the challenge:
It does. There is definitely a shadow there. :)
How to raise your score:
Having a better balance in composition might help.
Photographer found comment helpful.