Young Pileated Woodpecker
by Len Scap

Comment:
Wow. You got really close! A nice attempt. Did you use a tripod or was it handheld? A 70-300mm or a prime? Something shorter like a 55-200mm and digitally cropped? There is very little DOF in this image, less than a few mm's from eye to midline of the beak. I fear that the shutter speed was possibly too low to make it crisp and sharp. On a compositional note, if you could place him to the right of the image with space to the side he is looking, it would be more appealing. It might be used because it is an unusual sighting, but the lack of crisp focus and cramped crop might be it's downfall.

King Of Congo
by Tobi

Comment:
I'm hard pressed to comment on your image. I'm trying to do them all. Without being too harsh I'd like to say that when shooting animals, especially for a magazine of such photographic quality of NG, you need to get your exposure right. Shooting dark animals or birds is very difficult. Balance the fur and eyes to get definition but not blow out the rest of the subject. NG do allow dodge and burn, it's one of the few PP techniques that they do. So, when shooting animal AND environment shoot in RAW, spot meter the GREEN LEAVES/FOLIAGE, lock the exposure using AE-L, recompose to him and shoot. Try it and you wont get a washed out look. Next step, get the animal to engage YOU, or wait till he does. Try zoom in on his face and get a full portrait, with a catch light in the eyes if you can. there's no harm in shooting in the zoo or animal park. It's perfect to get your technique right before facing a Grizzly in Yellowstone :)

Framed
by Lad

Comment:
Certainly a valid culture shot. NG images aren't all sharp. Motion blur used in their photography is common place. This tells a story, the lack of adequate delivery vehicles or money to pay for it, and that's sometimes all that's needed to fill the spaces between the text. NG make us sit up and think.

Zion National Park - circa 1919
by Blackbox

Comment:
Well researched :) Only 14 years after NG's first pictorial mag. The film grain effect and lack of contrast certainly appear original. The foreground firs are intensely black and seem out of place. Still you need them for depth and perspective. So it's not modern day NG eye candy and I hope you are not ignorantly being punished for this. Kudo's for being daring and different.

Hare today, hare tomorrow. Longevity lessons from the lowly rabbit.
by skewsme

Comment:
Where's the basket full of choccies? :) There's always a huge online debate about photographing WILD life or wildlife in or around human habitation. Was it shot in your garden, a bunny park, the zoo or in the English Country (famous for their bunnies). I guess the decision rests on the editor based on the article associated with your title. It's crisp, the eye engages me, has the obligatory catch-light, nice ROT composition. Could indeed be used for publication I think, despite the blade in front of the eye and nose, especially if doing a story on the longevity of the English rabbit.

Old Times
by Brin

Comment:
Farms and farm implements as subjects aren't new to NG. Showing one derelict and abandoned could well fit an article based on ever changing farmers fortunes. Image does seem a bit processed, pulling out warmth and red tones? Be wary, as they spot this very quickly and reject. Nice POV low to the ground and that UWA does add impact, as if Mother Nature will dwarf any of our attempts at altering her.

Possum Paradise
by bcenu

Comment:
Cute little blighter's. I remember them well. Hanging out in gum trees. Lovely, simple and natural. No tricks. I'd give it the nod for publication even if just a record shot. How unusual is it to see them in the daytime. Well spotted.

NYC Landmark and Change
by tvsometime

Comment:
Typical NG style documentary image. I might have tried to get higher just to be able to prevent the writing on the wall from being obscured. Great exposure and good job in getting construction workers in the shot. Engaging.

From Out of the Rain Forest
by essay

Comment:
Lovely work. Not over processed it seems. Has all the right elements, slow shutter, tripod, soft filtered light, moss. Could pass for publication.

Coastal erosion
by Scapeshots

Comment:
Love it. Typical DPC eye candy, soft, colourful clouds, feathered water, the rocks. If done by ND filters, fine. Does it show actual erosion as one would see on a farm or landslides after heavy rainfall...? Sure the rocks are smooth and "eroded" by millennia of water washing over them. Making a publishing decision would rest on the relevance of the article your image is shot for. Photographically it would pass imo.