a comment after voting ..
i personally think that nearly 80 votes of 4 and under is a bit crazy for this image, even if it is an animal ...
firstly i felt that a definition was in order because i know i got marked down last time they had a portrait challenge and i entered an animal .. the same animal as it happens .. it appears that i got ppl's backs up because of putting that definition as my title ..
secondly i thought a bit of humour wouldnt go astray coz it was a bit'v a boring expression from the sheep ...
think i blew it on both counts ..
as sheep are so well known for their expressive faces, lol lol lol, i thought something completely different would be the go, which is why i chose one of the photographs of the sheep with this totally dead pan look .. seems i blew it there as well ...
it was a toss up between the sheep and this alpaca for the challenge .. might'v got under 5 for the alpaca !!
Statistics
Place: 234 out of 366 Avg (all users): 5.1696 Avg (commenters): 6.5333 Avg (participants): 5.0899 Avg (non-participants): 5.2222 Views since voting: 1149 Views during voting: 338 Votes: 224 Comments: 25 Favorites: 0
You know, I am assuming that people gave you a low score because this portrait is of an animal as opposed to a human being. And that cracks me up because I am pretty sure that the challenge description does not say PEOPLE only. So the DPC voting literalists have failed in this case.
I think people misunderstand how difficult it is to take a portrait of an animal especially when you do not have the "perfect" studio light settings. These animals are going to do what they please and are not usually holding still all pretty until you are done.
I think sometimes it is difficult to create a mood and essence of a person with photography. This is great because to me this photo gives off a mood of pensive thought. The animal is either thinking of something or is basking in the warmth of the light. I love the detail and the texture that you can see on the animal's fur and horn. The lighting particularly on the mouth is wonderful. It looks as tho it is about to speak or kiss lol.
My goodness. Clearly, the commenters liked your photo and the non commenters didn't. I don't think I've ever seen such a wide chasm between those two averages. And who in their right mind would give this most excellent photo a 1, 2, or 3 - or a 4 for that matter??? I'm outraged for you and your beautiful talent.
ahh roz my sweet friend, looks like you split the masses on this one...mine finished quite low and critisized as well....BUT I BEAT YOU BUWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
:)
edit to add that i also agree that the 80 votes of 4 or less is pretty ridiculous...
Feeling a bit defensive? ;-) Don't worry, your photo stands on its own. The lighting is excellent, really focuses the attention on the face and horn, while still leaving enough on the background to add depth. If it gets voted down by others, I'd expect it would be for lack of "wow"-factor, rather than for subject matter. 8
And a very nice animal it is too. Like the smooth background, and the nice tight focus. Would like to have seen more of its eye, though. Can't you persuade it to pose a bit more?
I checked several on-line dictionaries and all say a portrait is of a person. Which dictionary did you get this definition from? Good DOF, bokeh, composition and sharpness.
glad you pointed it out that this was an animal :-) like the way the wool on its head makes you feel you can feel it, and the yes lashes stand out well, a good photo
lol... well I wouldn't have fought you on that (though I prefer to see humans). The processing and colors are nice on this. Cool kind of profile. Wish I could see the eye a bit better, from what I can see it seems a to be a cool color!
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