Jack

Image Critiques Everything Else Critiques
1

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Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

While photographing at a working ranch, the riders were taking a break and horses left to graze. Jack, the dog, took a break by his buddy. During the day, Jack would not look at me. He was totally focused on his owner, waiting for a whistle or hand gesture on what to do next. Truly a working dog. It was amazing to watch, he was one of the hardest working dogs I have ever seen. I was happy to get a shot of him in his down time.

Specific Feedback

Does this type of photograph have any interest to be hanging on a wall in a home? I’m always asking “what would someone purchase for their wall space” when I’m shooting.

Technical Details

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Critique Template

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  • Vision and Purpose:
  • Conceptual:
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2

Hi Judi. Certainly this type of image would be appealing to a lot of people, but I think the way you framed it is working a bit against you. The way just the top of the horse is cut off makes it look accidental rather than purposeful. My personal taste would be to have quite a bit more room all the way around, even at the expense of losing detail in the dog. An alternative, if you have the pixels, might be to crop in fairly severely to make the horse become something of an abstract frame for the Jack. I downloaded your image and did a crop to show what I mean, but you posted it pretty small so this is just to give you a feel for where I think you might take this image.

_Judi-C0A9297at50 copy
_Judi-C0A9297at50 copy740Ă—568 461 KB

And after posting, I see that I left a sliver of grass on the right edge, so I’d crop in a tiny bit more there.

1 Like
3

Judi, There is always someone that would purchase an image, if that is your thought when shooting! I’ve seen some horrendously awful images in people’s homes (not just the subject, but the processing) , ones I’d pay to have TAKEN AWAY.

I like your idea here, showcasing Jack. Dennis’s crop works well, leaving just enough of the horse to nicely frame the dog but not detract from him.

Your colours are nice, and the faces of both animals are a bonus. The head and neck of the horse seems hot from here, and might be toned down a bit.

4

Thank you. I do like your suggestion a lot. I will give that a try. I love posting pictures here and getting feedback that is honest. It’s so refreshing. Thanks again.

5

LOL, I’ve also seen pictures on walls that I have to wonder about. I guess art is, well, subjective to each person. Maybe some were handed down and have sentimental value? lol. Thanks for your feedback, its very much appreciated.

6

Very interesting shot. I don’t mind the original framing, but it would be nice to see more on top is you have it, and a little more room on both sides. I’d definitely bring down the exposure on the horse’s neck and face, though. The rest of the lighting on the horse is very nice.

7

Wow, thanks so much! I see exactly what you mean. I love your crop.