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Statistics
Place: 16 out of 90 Avg (all users): 6.0731 Avg (commenters): 7.6667 Avg (participants): 5.7347 Avg (non-participants): 6.1517 Views since voting: 1224 Views during voting: 402 Votes: 260 Comments: 20 Favorites: 1 (view)
The first three parts of this critique are written based purely on examination of your photo. "Final thoughts" is written after reviewing your score, photographer's comments, and voter comments.
TECHNIQUE Very sharp shot with beautiful, vibrant colors. My only immediate negative reaction is that the bird's head and neck are pretty dark in comparison to the rest of the image. Given that that's the putative subject of the image, my instincts want it to be brighter and more prominent. Having said that, the detail available in the tail is just amazing! This would make a great print - I can tell that there is so much to see in that expanse of feathers!
COMPOSITION I like your idea and the perspective you've chosen. Deciding where to crop (or exactly how to compose) a shot like this is challenging. How much of the bird's neck and torso (?) do you include? Your choice feels a little awkward, but honestly, I'm not sure how a higher or lower crop would have worked either.
EMOTIONAL IMPACT I think the dynamic of this picture would have been improved with more favorable lighting on the bird's face and headdress. As shot, it's interesting and a bit of an unusual take on a bird that everyone loves to look at, but the ability to connect with a viewer is enhanced, I think, by more focus on the eyes and/or faces of the subject. The connection to the challenge is obvious (I hope) to anyone who recognizes the wonderful display of powers of sexual selection.
FINAL THOUGHTS A very nice shot of a beautiful bird. I just noticed your title (grin) which I think is great. Your final score is pretty respectable and your commenters certainly seemed to enjoy it. Nicely done!
Whilst this is a great photo and fulfills the challenge admirably, it left me 'wanting'. Meanwhile, my son, instantly said it was a 10!! Just shows how we all differ in our appreciation of the same subject.
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