This picture was taken six years ago on a walk through Jigokudani Yaen Kōen in Nagano, Japan. This scene caught my eye as it was heartwarming to see two young snow monkeys in a close embrace as the left monkey provided his companion with shelter from the freezing cold.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
any feedback welcome
Technical Details
Nikon D5300, 1/4000 sec at f / 4,8, ISO 720, 125mm (APS-C)
I was just starting out with photography when taking this shot. Looking at the exif data now, I could have gone for a much longer shutter speed to benefit from a lower ISO considering the monkeys stayed very still for a long time.
I edited the picture much later in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Thanks for submitting your beautiful image. For starting out, you did great.
This image is emotional and tells the story of the cold and the connection between the two monkeys. It touches the heart and calls to the human spirit to want to help. That’s a win in photography as far as I am concerned.
The clean back ground and foreground are impactful as they put the monkeys as the focal point. There is this interesting juxtaposition of the money covered in snow comforting the other one…that is kind of cool.
One trick I use with very furry animals is a higher F-stop because sometimes the fur (like on Foxes) looks fuzzy when it’s not out of focus. I want to see that fur tack sharp so try that the next time you shoot furry animals. For me the animal on the left covered in snow seems sharper than the other one.
I could also see you bringing out a touch more color in those coats .
