Winter's Medusaby
snafflesComment by JamesDowning: Well well... greetings from the critique club.
Personally, I rated this fairly high but I think I understand why a lot of people didn't get it. When the face popped out to me, it made me smile because it took a minute for me to see it. I liked the surprise. However, on this particular shot, I think the larger DPC image size works against you. As I move away from my screen, the face in the clouds becomes more and more clear - when it gets to the relative size of a DSLR screen, it becomes very clear. For most people looking at this, the face probably didn't pop enough.
In addition, I don't think the trees add much here. If anything, they could be more of a detractor because it muddies the subject. At first, we - the viewer - think: what am I looking for here? At first glance, it just looks like a bad picture of clouds through some bare trees. But at the same time - maybe a little of that is what makes art - art.
Your title becomes the key here. At least its's the nudge in the right direction that our subconscious needs without spelling it out.
Given the image you were working with, I think you edited it about as good as you could. If you brought out the whites of the clouds more, it might not look as realistic, and might bring out the image noise too much. My only other thought editing-wise is that your white balance might be a bit too red. I'd like to see the white cooled down a bit more. Images of the sky tend to look more natural with a bluer hue.
Overall, its a good pareidolia, but not a great image by itself.
Hope you found a touch of insight here. Cheers.
Photographer found comment helpful.
