The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
It was our first morning trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and we were all geared up for potential hours trekking through the Forest searching for our assigned family, after just an hour and a half or so the trackers raced back to us and told us the family was just ahead. As we rounded the corner this silverback was relaxing on the forest floor. After a quick glance up at us he just returned to his thoughts and stared off into the distance.
Specific Feedback
What do you think of the framing? After trying a few I thought that the closeup really captured the feel of the moment. Any other advice to make the photo better or to tell the story better?
Thanks
Timothy, what a privilege of an encounter, and what a quietly powerful portrait. The eyes are doing extraordinary work here. There is a depth of thought in them that almost makes you feel as though you have intruded on a private moment of reflection, which by your description is exactly what happened. The image carries that sense of dignified inwardness beautifully.
The tight framing absolutely works for the mood. A wider shot would have given context but cost intimacy, and intimacy is the real subject here. That said, the very top of the head currently brushes the upper edge of the frame, and a touch more headroom would let him sit in the space rather than feel pressed against it. The right edge also holds a faint hint of another gorilla shoulder that the eye registers without quite identifying, and a gentle darkening there would let the silverback own the frame more completely.
If you wanted to push the image further into pure portraiture, I would also encourage you to try a much tighter crop, holding essentially just the face from the brow ridge down to just below the lower lip. Stripping away the surrounding fur removes every cue except the ones that matter, and the viewer is left with nothing but the eyes, the nose, and that quietly set mouth. A square or near square aspect ratio suits this kind of intense facial portrait especially well, since it removes directional pull and lets the face sit in still contemplation.
If you go that tight, a delicate dodge on the irises and a small lift on the catchlights would help the gaze carry the entire frame, since there will be nothing else competing for attention.
A really memorable capture, and one that does honor to the moment you describe. Thank you for sharing both the image and the story behind it.
I do like Sebastien’s tighter crop and his reasons for it. I love the touch of “henna” between his brows, making him look amusingly affected for a moment, though he commands complete respect otherwise. I’d remove the white spot in the LLC of the cropped version if you like, though this is a very minor point.
