Bones

I decided to pick this image to critique from your gallery, in part because of the story and message behind it, and in part because animal abuse hits me hard. I've had pets in my life, and they were always part of the family. It's hard for me to understand this kind of abuse. Let me see if I can offer anything that might strengthen the image's intensity (as if it needed anything but that brutal truth of itself!).

Looking over it, I'm hesitant about the corner of white on the left bottom. It draws my eye away from the dog. Have you tried cropping this image differently? Perhaps cutting the bottom higher and some of the left off would avoid the distraction of the white edge and refocus the eye on the dog. Plus, if you take some sixty-seventy pixels from the left and ninety or so from the bottom, the dog will no longer be as centered and the frame will be more rectangular. That could give it an edge.

As it is centered now, the image just is, instead of having a feeling of moving or leading the eye anywhere. As an aside, I'm limiting my comments to suggestions that could be done now to the photograph, rather than general comments about taking shots and things that cannot be changed at this point.

Alternatively, perhaps the image would work even better if it was cropped so that the dog was in the upper right corner and nothing from the bottom or right was cut. Just the top and left.

My only reservation about my suggestion is that it would lessen the effect of the blurred chain-linked fence. I know I'd take the trade, but it's really something only you can decide.

Have you taken this to an image program? I wonder if a light sharpen might not work in favor of this image, bringing out the dog and the ground tiles more. One would have to be careful not to go overboard, but since the image already has that gritty feel, subtle sharpening should only enhance it without killing the viewer's eyes. Perhaps even just using a sharpen brush on the dog alone would do it.

By the way, I can't say I'm liking the texture and that gritty feel I mentioned earlier. Rough like the subject matter, but I'm not really pleased by it.

That said, I want to mention that I'm liking the decision to have the image in greyscale. I can't imagine this being as effective in color.

Again, I want to say that this is a powerful subject and kudos for taking a shot at it. Awareness is necessary of the horror that's animal neglect. I'm just glad to heat that this chap is doing okay.

Good luck with your art! <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/t/t…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title="Thanks for everything!" />