Love the wide variety of pencils you have in your photo. The elephant is absolutely gorgous. I like how he stands out from the background and he works very well with the wood table. The books ad an extra touch of color. The angle is good and the lighting is great. I wonder, if the white thing behind the elephant were removed, or covered up with something a bit darker, if it would help the elephant to stand out even more. It almost blends right into the elephant. Great job with the photo and good luck in the challenge.
I like the mix of pencils and the setting, particularly the older more battered pencils. The cropping doesn't appeal - parts of the pencils, elephant and books are missing and there doesn't seem to be a conscious decision behind those choices. Kavey