Why is this not in the comedy challenge.... it would have got a 7 from me there.... in authority it suffers from the good old not meeting the challenge issue.
while i appreciate your humor, the blown highlights in the trees really did this one in for me. i would have preferred a bit more detail on the foreground cacti as well. maybe a closer crop would have done more to convey authority.
Connection with challenge theme: low, symbolic, concrete.
Technical:
(+) focus, tonal range of midtones and shadows, cropping.
(-) some loss of detail on the cacti, blown out sky.
Artistic:
I think the overall composition is to the point you are conveying (concrete vs abstract). You chose a rather interesting take on this challenge. I disagree with utilizing these two particular cacti as symbolic of 'father figure' authority. Perhaps if that 'big daddy' was spanking junior, or displaying a gesture of authority, your interpretive entry would hold more strength.
Overall: Your symbolic yet concrete entry is not readily a display of authority, and thus the connection with theme is rather low. There are some technical details which detract from the overall merits of this photo, and points were accordingly taken. Your entry has strengths which may have been better utilized in a different challenge.
Recommendations: Take care not to blow out highlights...utilize all areas of the photo to its greatest potential, unless you are blowing out highlights as an artistic gesture. Stronger sharpening may have brought out more details. This entry would be stronger in a challenge called "Sympathy".
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