This I agree with. It is sad. Poor thing is going to die in a
concrete jungle being kept alive by artificial means --- that's
the horrible way we treat old people, usually animals can count on
us to care enough to give them a big needle to the sky when the
time comes, rather than making them suffer and their last days hell
on earth, the way we do for grandma and grandpa.
Now, here's where I differ. Amy --- who I note has more talent
From a technical standpoint though... the contrast is way off...
and I'm not crazy about your composition -- though I imagine you
were limited on where you could shoot the photo from. The focus
should be the panda... but it's all in the extreme foreground and
on the left where the lighting is very bright.
I see this photo as being made more powerful by the very
"imperfections" Amy mentions. I don't think the story is the
Panda. The story is the medical equipment, the stark industrial
setting, the hopeless hope of medicine to prolong life, when all
that's really happening is prolonged suffering. The ventilating
equipment is front and center and from this the hoses and tubes
lead off to a very insignificant Panda lying there --- a small
inconsequential player in the drama of death --- on a cement slab,
down on the floor. Poignant. Deeply moving. I think the
composition is excellent.
Contrast may be way off as Amy suggests, but I'd want to see a
"corrected" image before I made up my mind on this. I think the
contrast works just fine --- but that's not to say it might not be
better, if different, I'd want to compare though.
I'd conclude by saying that this photo exemplifies the wisdom of
Amy's standard sign off which says: -- "Creativity is allowing
yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
I'd say these "mistakes" are keepers!
Now, if you want to see some fabulous photographs take a look at
Amy's here:
http://www.nyphotos.net ~
http://www.something-fishy.com/photography
Cheers to all, Sheldon
