The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive
About This Image
We were in the southern Kalahari desert out on a game drive when our attention was drawn to this lion slowly making his way down the rocks. He would stop and appear to ponder whether he should go on or go back up. After much apparent thought and a few false starts he slowly but surely made his way down and disappeared into the bush, seemingly relieved that he had made it all the way to the bottom.
Feedback Requested
I would like any thoughts on the composition, framing and overall feel of the photo. I was trying to show his thoughtfulness, slow and deliberate descent. Thanks so much for any suggestions you can make.
This is a very cool shot, Timothy. The lion’s posture is unusual. That keeps this from looking like just another photo of a lion. The rocks are striking. There’s some texture in the rock faces in the bottom half of the photo, but little texture in the higher rocks. If you could bring out a little texture in those it might be a plus. Either way it’s a fine shot.
This is such a wonderful image. And, like @Don_Peters mentioned, it’s unusual. You have succeeded in showing how deliberate the lion was climbing down the rocks.
I like your overall composition. I only have very minor suggestions that may or may not be what you wanted to portray. The lion is almost lost in the rocks. Which could work as a very good thing. Maybe a different version with the shadows around the lion darkened slightly to draw more attention to the animal. I am a bit of a “border patrol” type person. I would consider losing the grass at the top (either by cloning or cropping) and the speck of vegetation on the bottom left.
A beautiful image, well seen and captured and processed.
Great environment here, and I like that the lion blends in so well (contributing to the “lost” feeling). My only question is whether there was more of the wall below what we see. Given the lion’s pose and downward glance, I’d prefer to see it higher in the frame.
