I find myself almost resentful of this, because the book's so human and yearning, and the image is so cold and clinical... That's an intensely personal reaction, I'm aware of this, but that's after all what art's about, isn't it?
I'm giving you a 5 because it IS pretty much on topic and it IS well-made, but I really don't much care for it. I Love the book, BTW.
Now I really do have to read the novel! I read about it in the past and now I need to fully understand the meaning of your your image. I like the ominous look of the scissors.
I am a bit puzzled by the choice of leaving so much dark space on the right of the image and I try to understand it through the fact that I knew about the publishers' urge for a change of the ending. You leave some breathing space.
A crisp image that I would have probably marked 6 but in the context of this challenge it's more like a 7.
My criticism is that somehow it looks a bit like a stock image with a twist. The tonality is wonderful.
7
Initial Reaction: Dark, not sure about match to book
Suitability for Challenge Topic: Not familiar with the book, but it seems that the flowers were on a grave, and Algernon was a mouse. I don't see how this ties in, other than the fact that there is a flower here.
Aesthetic: Reasonable composition, not as much fine detail as I would prefer (soft) A bit dark for my taste, but the highlight on the scissors does complicate this.
Needs Work: Sharpness, concept
Final Thoughts: While not a terrible image, also not terribly compelling.
Score: 5
A beautiful image. I like the flowers to tie in with the title and the medical instrument and gauze to reflect the plot. The thought and composition is met with a wonderfully shot and processed photo. Now, the only nitpick I have is that for me the composition feels a little off. Perhaps a bit more room to the left of the image may have helped. Still, an overall wonderful image. 9.
The deep tones on the black and white scale are very appropriate for this shot, and reflect on the story well. All of the items are very symbolic of the main pieces of the story, down to the flower for the mouses grave. 8
Only knowing the book from its synopsis, this seems an appropriate enough reference to the story. It's also photographed well with appealing tones, tint and texture. The composition is very static and carefully arranged, but to my eye, the balance is a little off - too heavy on the left which could be easily fixed by a slight crop from the right. Unless, however, you are trying for some instability in which case a different composition would work better.. So the overall effect is not satisfying. To break it down, it's a 6 for content, 6 for technique but only a 5 for visual impact. So, it squeaks by with a 6.
You have symbolized the story with the flower, gauze and medical scissors quite well, a clean and clear arrangement. The toning adds to the mood nicely. A pleasant image true to the novel.6.
It's been a long time since I read this book. I guess the scissors and bandage represent whatever operation was performed to give the main character intelligence? I'm not a fan of items assembled on a black background, though this does have a certain elegance to it. 4
6...it's a competent photograph, but lacks an sort of emotion and is visually flat. I'm going to assume that's a bloodied bandage, so perhaps color would have been more effective in this situation? And perhaps spreading the scene out a bit...the tattered bandage winding its way to a flower...and a mouse.
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