Ferruginous Hawk
by
riotComment by dbenson: Critique Club Comments:
First of all, the goal of photography is to "inspire", and this shot certainly does fulfill that goal.
Creativity: This is a very creative shot of a subject that has been photographed literally millions of times. The cropping and zoom are excellent.
Aesthetics: For a photograph to be compelling, it has to be something you want to look at, and keep looking at. Again, this image succeeds. I can easily see this hanging in the lobby or waiting room of a corporate office building.
Furthermore, there are no items in photograph that "don't belong" It is very common for a great shot to be reduced to an average shot, because there is something in the shot that is "distracting". The viewer can't enjoy the image, because there are one or more things in the image that are distracting. Again, no problems here. The subject is simple and clean and there are no "hot spots", dust spots, etc.
Technical Details:
Finally, you can have a great subject, perfect conditions and timing, and still end up with an average shot if you don't understand the science of photography (lighting, depth of field, etc.)
I don't see any technical issues with this shot. It is well lit and sharply focused.
Possible improvements:
If I were to play with image at all, I would try two things. First I would burn the eyes a little to see if I couldn't get some the details of the iris' to come out. Second, I would dodge the top of the beak a little to bring out the richness and contrast. I will send you a PM of these two edits as an example.
Conclusion:
Great shot. Congratulations on your first first blue ribbon.
Photographer found comment helpful.
