10 Days Oldby
dizneewenchComment by jurassic: Hello from the Critique Club!
Subject Matter:
I think the 10 day old chick is an adorable and unique subject for the challenge but at the same time, it probably lowered your score with some voters. Looking only at the picture, it isn't clear what the central subject, the bird, has to do with the challenge topic. It's only until you see the title that the connection is made. Using the title in this way is acceptable by me but it could be a stretch for some viewers who prefer to let the image stand on its own. In any case, I commend you for thinking outside of the box.
Composition:
The centered composition works well with the chick naturally framed by the darker hands. Only thing I'd suggest is opening up the crop a little more to include the entirety of the hands.
Camera Work:
Lens seems to be a little out of focus making the subject blurry which probably lost points with DPC viewers who expect tack-sharp images. I assume the lighting was a little difficult to work with since you're cranked up to iso 3200 and still only getting 1/60 on your shutter speed. This, combined with the somewhat uniform lighting on the chick could have made it difficult for the camera to autofocus correctly. Next time, you could try to focus manually and take a series of shots so you can choose the sharpest one out of them later.
Postprocessing:
I think the choice to go B&W was a great one that reduced the distracting effect of high noise levels and increased emphasis on the main subject. I like the B&W on the hands which have a nice range from dark to light. I like how the lightness of the bird draws attention to it in comparison to the darker hands. However, the bird seems to be a little too bright in places and loses detail on the wings and back. The rest of the bird looks good.
Summary:
Overall, I think this photo has a good subject and B&W processing that works well to draw attention to it. However, the blurriness and need for a title to connect it to the challenge probably lowered your final score. The crop should be a little wider too.
If you've got any questions about this critique, please feel free to contact me via the PM system.
- David
