Rooster - Entry for Photo Contest!

[JulieBrennan]

I took this photo at the Fryeburg Fair this October. One rooster caught my eye, and luckily, I was able to get this picture through the cage of him.
Originally, the image had bars crossing the photo, but through manipulation and an hour of editing, I was able to reinvent the quality of the photo.
Please leave comments about any changes/advice you could give! I'm entering this in my high school photography competition.

 

[tirediron]

Well... the first question would be, "What is the nature of the competition?"; that is, is it an open, anything goes, or are there specific categories? Putting aside the level of competition, a couple of things bother me about this image. First is the large bright, white area image right, which I assume is the southern view of another north-bound hen. Next are the remaining cage wires, and lastly the windows in the background. As you know, the eye is naturally attracted to the brighter areas of an image, and the wire image left makes an excellent set of leading lines, which in effect guide the eye right past Rock E. Rooster into the background; NOT where we want it to go. My suggestion would be to crop as much of the LH side of the image away as possible which will get rid of the wires and remove the subject from the centre (centered is usually not a desirable composition) and then using whatever selection tools you have/prefer, select the rooster and create a new layer, allowing you to significantly reduce the exposure, which will darken the background and reduce the distracting effect of the bright area.

 

[JulieBrennan]

Thanks for the critique! The photography contest is completely open/anything goes. And I agree with the natural eye going to the white, I guess I never noticed it myself because I've looked at this picture so much the rooster catches my attention. I'll be taking your advice on the cropping and making the background darker! Again, thanks for taking the time to critique my photo!

 

[MK3Brent]

It's just not an interesting image. It's cramped, underexposed, and not sharp at all.

 

[JulieBrennan]

Thanks for sharing you opinion, I agree with the two but I don't think it is a cramped image. I guess it's all preference whether you enjoy a good rooster picture or not. I appreciate their statuesque beauty.

 

[MK3Brent]

Typical bulls-eye composition makes any image look cramped. That's why you notice in others that use negative space lets the photo breathe. Being in a cage doesn't help either.

Keep it up.

 

[tirediron]

...I guess it's all preference whether you enjoy a good rooster picture or not...

Over eight years I've been a member here, and I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've seen that particular phrase posted!!!

 

[runnah]

...I guess it's all preference whether you enjoy a good rooster picture or not...

Over eight years I've been a member here, and I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've seen that particular phrase posted!!!

Really? I gets tons of PM's asking for photos of my...rooster.

 

[JulieBrennan]

...I guess it's all preference whether you enjoy a good rooster picture or not...

Over eight years I've been a member here, and I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've seen that particular phrase posted!!!

Really? I gets tons of PM's asking for photos of my...rooster.

Well that escalated quickly.