Elk

[MontanaDave]

"The Dunk"
What was the goal?
I am trying to tell the story of "The Dunk" by leading lines of the main antler beams and neck all pointed to the dunk.

Did I achieve my goal?
I think so, by editing as "low key" because the background foliage was not part of the story.
There are no distracting bright reflections from the water and the "dunk" is the main story.

If I could, what would I change?
I would position myself to the right to add more depth to the photo.
Unfortunately, there was dense forest to my right and that was not possible.

What critique am I looking for?
Any constructive suggestions.

Bull elk near sunset last July.
Canon R5, RF 800mm prime fixed at F/11, 1/1000 sec, ISO-2000.
Minimal cropping, I did edit this as "low key" so the background foliage does not interfere with the main subject.
The lens is unique that it is a "budget prime lens at 800mm", but it is fixed at F11 so requires sufficient light.

 

[MontanaDave]

Post has been flagged for non compliance with C&C Guidelines. If not edited for compliance, it will be deleted or moved.

Edited the original post:
I am trying to tell the story of "The Dunk" by leading lines of the main antler beams and neck all pointed to the dunk.
I edited as "low key" because the background foliage was not part of the story.

 

[terri]

What other information is needed to be in compliance? Thanks.

From your question, it seems you haven't read the Posting to the C&C Gallery thread - conveniently pinned to the top of this forum.

 

[smoke665]

Edited the original post:
I am trying to tell the story of "The Dunk" by leading lines of the main antler beams and neck all pointed to the dunk.
I edited as "low key" because the background foliage was not part of the story.

As this is not a place for gallery display, but serious critique, questions and answrers please expand on your post to include things like

What was the goal?
What image did you have in mind when you took the image?
Was there a specific learning goal?

Did I achieve my goal?
This is where you honestly look at your own image. Do you see anything that looks off, takes your attention away from the subject, etc.

If I could, what would I change?
Everyone should be able to answer this one. There's always that one or two things that you could have done different/better.

What critique am I looking for?
General critique will get you general feedback. Try and find what you think you need help with and lay it out for us to provide assistance. This will not limit the feedback you get but will ensure that you do get feedback on this topic.

By including this information, it helps respondents provide pointed answers and critique.

 

[MontanaDave]

Post has been flagged for non compliance with C&C Guidelines. If not edited for compliance, it will be deleted or moved.

Edited the original post:
"The Dunk"
What was the goal?
I am trying to tell the story of "The Dunk" by leading lines of the main antler beams and neck all pointed to the dunk.

Did I achieve my goal?
I think so, by editing as "low key" because the background foliage was not part of the story.

If I could, what would I change?
I would position myself to the right to add more depth to the photo.

What critique am I looking for?
Any constructive suggestions.

Bull elk near sunset last July.
Canon R5, RF 800mm prime fixed at F/11, 1/1000 sec, ISO-2000.
Minimal cropping, I did edit this as "low key" so the background foliage does not interfere with the main subject.
The lens is unique that it is a "budget prime lens at 800mm", but it is fixed at F11 so requires sufficient light.

 

[smoke665]

@MontanaDave thanks for updating your post. I've been out this week, and had hoped others would chime in on this one.

When telling a story with an image it's important to consider that your viewers may not have the same information you do. We don't have any moose in our neck of the woods, so I'm somewhat at a loss. Is the "dunk" a real thing?

Besides the confusion on the story, there's several other things going on. It appears your attempt edit away the foliage created a confusing image with a subject that doesn't match the environment.

 

[terri]

For me, the issue is the lighting. Apparently this was shot in bright sunlight - bright enough to throw shadows from the antlers onto the elk.

The severe blackness from the "low key" editing seems at odds with the brightness of the light on the subject. The end result makes it look like a very hot flash was used.

This lighting, plus the tight crop, doesn't really tell a story to me. I would actually appreciate seeing a little of the foliage to give a more natural, realistic quality to the scene.

You mention that you might have improved the shot by stepping to the right to add depth to the scene. You might consider softening the light a bit: the background foliage would offer depth naturally. Overall, I find this image too harsh.