Independence?by
msdoubletroubleComment: From the critique club:
Okay, here you went with the very antithesis of the challenge. This is often done and sometimes voters get it. What is white without black and what is day without night?: what is independence without its very negation. These opposites are often so tied together that one serves to pronounce the other. Yet some voters will tell you that they would never acknowledge the opposite because otherwise the challenge would say subjugation or lack of independence. However, many competing images have emphasized the lack of whatever the challenge is about and some have scored well.
Now, this is a beautiful goat and the mouth expression is very funny and interesting and perhaps you missed the winning picture in this challenge: I would have taken just the head with that mouth gesture and what an image it would have made. It happens to us all. We get an idea and we focus intently on our target not realizing that we are overlooking the winning image. So much for spilt milk.
In looking over your work you seem to have a pretty good eye and you have presented some very nice ideas but more important you have presented more technically correct image. With this image the eyes are drawn to the face and there is no real reward because there is a lack of focus on the critical parts of the subject. The lighting, while very even, appears not to add additional interest. There is enough detail available to discern some of the texture and lovely colors but even these qualities are overlooked due to the chains that run back and forth creating an area of investigation for the viewer. Here the voter gets lost and forgets everything else.
Shooting outdoors presents many problems and the main one is the background, foreground against the subject matter. The image is there but sometimes we have to look hard to make an interesting composition.
I am quite certain that you are very capable to take care of the technical aspect. I think you followed an idea and simply missed the opportunity here. The head shot would have brought lovely Daisy Duke right into our face and first the voter would have thought: goats are independent and then they would stared at that lovely expression.
I will look forward to your future entries as I am certain you have a definite idea of what you want to say with images.
Message edited by author 2005-07-28 22:04:51. 
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