COMPOSITION... Wow! What an excellent shot of a polar bear! And its close to looking like it was actually shot in the wild! The detail in the shot is first rate, especially the way the bear's fur stands out. I like the tightness of the crop - 1) It probably prevented something distracting from being in the background 2) Makes you feel closer to the subject, lets the subject dominate the photo, and 3) Probably made for a more dynamic composition instead of having the usual, whole shot of a polar bear. In animal photos, having a good expression with the animal's face, and capturing the eyes is key, and I can that those elements are fulfilled in this photo - you can see the gleam in the bear's eyes and it seems to be very contemplative about something :) background's just great, so many zoo shots are ruined by that small object in the background that distracts the viewer's attention. You have a huge plus with your equipment in being able to take (with the right lens) zoomed in shots like this. (Unless u actually did manage to get close to a polar bear :)
TECHNIQUE... I put three images of this bear at //photos.yahoo.com/sylandrix (in the DPChallenge Critique folder). Leftmost photo is your original shot. Opening the photo in Photoshop, and looking at the histogram reveals that the photo is not using a full range of tones from light to dark. You can make a level adjustment and move the left slider to the beginning of the histogram, resulting in the second version of the photo. Its harder to see in such a small version of the photo but the difference can be substantial when looking at a full size photo. Its the number 1 image adjustment you can make to improve almost any photo, in my opinion. Finally I noticed that this polar bear was breaking convention by not being white so I made a selective color adjustment on the yellows to result in the third pic. That one is a matter of taste - I find the "warm" look of the above photo just as appealing. Apart from that, what is there to say? Excellent image quality, depth of field, and technique!
OVERALL... You didn't get a ribbon but congratulations anyway on an amazing capture! As evidenced by your two ribbons, you seem to have a knack for capturing wildlife, keep on shooting!
Oh, he could break you in two!! Great shot in a zoo (I'm assuming!!) I love the detail in the bear's fur - love the background. And he's sort of looking at you!! Great job with a live, uncooperative subject!! 9
Oh, he needs a bath. Where's that pretty white fur we see all the time. Beautiful close up. I hope the close up was the result of a good telephoto lens. This is too tightly cropped to suit me, and not because I like to see all the animal. It just feels crowded as it is. I think you could have gotten the same quality as you have here, which is great, pulled back a little. But, this is just my opinion.
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