Wednesday Photo Critique #3, 12/05/2012

Grizzly Love. The Wildlife Sanctuary, Colorado, 2012

For this week’s critique, I selected an experimental image of mine from a few months back. I made it at The Wild Animal Sanctuary some 40 miles east of Boulder, Colorado from a catwalk above the Grizzly enclosure.

OK, time to switch hats and pretend this is the first time I am seeing this photograph…and go into critique mode.

The metadata: Nikon D90 (1.5x crop factor sensor) with Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 zoom at 75mm, f/5.6, 1/640, ISO200, hand-held, but supported on a railing.

And once again we’ll use my 7-Step Critique Guide I first outlined in my November 14, 2012 post.

1) EXAMINE. The subject is obviously the two Grizzlies playing, or doing what appears to be the “hokey-pokey”. I see that the image uses selective color to center interest on the bears. Looking at the ground, I’d guess these bears are not in their natural environment–it looks too dusty and not lush enough. I’m not sure how the photographer gained this perspective (looking down), but perhaps he/she was on a hill or an observation deck of some kind.

2) EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. When I look at this, I think of how magnificent these creatures are and how I’d love to see them myself in the wild (from a safe distance, of course!). I chuckle at what looks like sexual activity or play.

3) TECHNICAL POINTS. The image seems quite sharp throughout and is properly exposed with the exception of a few small highlights, especially on the upper edge of the big bear, that look close to being blown. Also, I think the bear fur needs a bit more contrast. The selective color treatment I am not quite sure about–I get the idea it may have been done to make a mediocre wildlife image look different or better. I do like the fact that the subjects and shadow fill the frame, so in my mind the cropping is appropriate. On the right hind leg of the big bear I see a white spot that detracts terribly-that should have been noticed and cloned out immediately in post. Finally, I notice from the shadows that this was made sometime during near mid-day. I think that shadow is strong enough to detract a bit, although the photographer obviously tried to minimize its effect on the image. Perhaps flash–especially with a Better Beamer attached–would have filled in the shadows a bit more. Some shadow was probably necessary to give some notion of depth, but as is I think it is too much.

4) ARTISTIC QUALITIES. The photograph is balanced and the center of interest is obvious. My eye stays with the bears–there is really nowhere else to go. As I mentioned before, the selective color treatment doesn’t really do much to add to the basic quality of the image, other than a novelty factor that quickly wears off. In general, wildlife photography is a very difficult genre as there are SO many really terrific photographs out there–and, of course, of Grizzlies, too! For such an image to really be special the photographer needs to show, in a perfectly composed, beautifully lit, tack sharp picture, some behavior that is very unusual. Some of that kind of behavior was captured here, but not enough to really make it stand out–where are the eyes, the teeth, the wide open mouth?…Direct eye contact can often be quite interesting. So, this photograph falls short in this respect.

5. POSITIVE POINTS. I like the sharpness of the image…and the fact that at least some behavior was captured.

6. IMPROVE. First, I would try to capture the subjects in a more pleasing environment. Then, I would spend some time–maybe a LOT of time–being patient and waiting, camera at the ready) for really unusual poses or behavior. If you can get some eye contact during all that (with catchlights in the eyes!), that would be a plus. Now, if experimentation is your thing, maybe you could try some experimental shots–blur, strange compositions, etc….this would allow you to move away from the classic wildlife genre and more into a sort of artistic interpretation of the wildlife you are shooting. (Which maybe was your intent with this image.) That could certainly be a way to make your work stand out if done well.

7. OVERALL. Overall, I think it is a mediocre wildlife image that attempts to use selective color to make it “different”. An OK first attempt, but…back to the drawing board with you!