When Owls Cryby
JakeKurdsjukComment: This is in response to your thread: I did not vote during this challenge but I would have given it a 5 and maybe only a 4. A 5 is the score I give a photo if it is not just terrible and it fits the challenge. I may have given it a 4 (I don't know because this is all after the fact) for the reasons below.
First.....the composition is not exciting or engaging, the subject is just dead center in the frame and is something I find boring 99% of the time. Yes there are times when it works or you have to but it dead center, but in this case it just does not work.
Second.....the challenge was Bokeh and I do agree that the green and white background is smooth and creamy and is pretty. The problem is that it is only a small part of the image. The area below the owl is more just out of focus and not really Bokeh to what I ascribe as being Bokeh. Take a look at the photos on the front page to get an example of photos that have great Bokeh vs ones that have out of focus areas that don't provide any pop or interest to the photo like you have here.
Third......you talk about the water in his eye in your thread but honestly it is barely noticeable and I probably would not have given it a second thought if you had not mentioned it. If this was something you wanted the viewer to focus on you should have done more to draw attention to it. Maybe shot from a closer perspective and a different angle, not real sure what you could have done honestly.
Fourth......the subject is not very interesting. Personally I do not like photographs of manmade objects like this...just not something I find interesting, right along with photographs of artwork/statues. To me this is kind of a photograph of a piece of artwork as it is designed to be displayed and looked at. Just not an interesting subject honestly.
Fifth.......the background Bokeh is beautiful and maybe if you had shown more of it and shot at an angle that provide more green and less white it would have made the rest of the image pop. In my mind, Bokeh when done right helps to isolate your subject from the background and makes it standout while not distracting the viewer. Your background does this but I am assuming that you feel the out of focus parts of the owl are Bokeh and to me it is not....it's just out of focus subject area and a bit distracting as I try to find what the focal point of the image is.
Sixth.....I am not sure about your focus point either....the left side of the left eye and the left part of the head are what seem to be in focus...even the water you mention is not in crisp focus. Because the photo is a representation of a living thing and that I feel the eyes (or at least one eye) of something living if in a photo need to be sharp and in focus.....you have part of one eye in focus.
Personally, I feel this image scored right where it should have if not a bit lower.
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