Chimp behind bars

Critiques [Translate]

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• sAner (4750)
• [2006-08-04 10:26]

Hi Andy,

I think this is a very strong portrait! Of course the wire fence is ugly, but in this picture it adds something extra. The fact you posted it in B/W was a very good choice. The POV and composition is great and the expression in the eyes of the chimp is so human-like. Wonderful shot. TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

Ps-The sharpening is indeed a little harsh, but works perfectly on the b/w image and for a full length shot at 1/25 the focus is pretty sharp. I think you got a steady hand alright!

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• wuta (2142)
• [2006-08-04 13:53]

Hello Andy , What a details ,een beauty portret from the aap ,pov pose ar very good ,i like it , Good Weekend ,Teunie.

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• carper (8439)
• [2006-08-04 14:29]

This is good Andy,
the fence the close shot, the crop, the fantastic scene, the atmosphere, well This is a very good job you did here,
gr. jaap

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• Hil (5035)
• [2006-08-04 18:04]

Hi Andy,

I like this shot a lot, I think the B & W and the cage is very atmospheric and looks like it is telling a story. Great shot well done.

TFS
Regards Hilary

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• liquidsunshine (5437)
• [2006-08-05 13:38]

Hello Andy,
This is a fantastic image, but I'm sure the people at ZSL wouldn't like it!!
The Chimp has a sad look in those eyes, without the bars, this image would tell a different story.
You know, like I do that the animals at Whipsnade are cared for very well.
I really like the emotion you've captured in this image, excellent work on this one Andy. And B&W works a treat.

Thanks for posting, have a great weekend.

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• klemmg (1719)
• [2006-08-05 17:08]

Hi Andy,

High impact, excellent post! Classic Rule-of-Thirds omposition, b+w, grain, choice of POV whith one eye half-disappearing behing the bar all work together to create a powerful portrait. Excellent!

On the strange preference: maybe the animals were raised in smaller enclosures/cages. Even if then given larger ones they tend to stay within the boundaries that they are used to. I have recently seen an example of brown bears in Olderdissen, Germany, who created a small trampled area within their huge wonderful enclosure about the size of their previous cage. It may well take months or years for cage-animals to adjust.

Regards,
Gabi

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• Silke (5458)
• [2006-08-06 9:14]

This is a very moving portrait, Andy -- the expression and the bars compliment each other very well as do the dark atmosphere and relative lack of light in the face and eyes.
TFS
Silke

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• slrnovice2 (1197)
• [2006-08-12 3:09]

Hi Andy, I think this is a lovely post. I don't know why but the image of a chimp behind bars really does get to me. It is a little soft but that does not detract from this one for me. The monochrome look is great and those eyes look so soulful. Lovely image :)

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• gigicacco (643)
• [2006-08-30 6:36]

Bella e significativa foto. Complimenti ciao gigicacco

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• ryanmfransen (7)
• [2007-03-19 0:17]
• [+]

Andy, I like how you seemed to be able to capture a bit of mood in the with the chimp. He seems to show much emotion, and I like this. In many of my photographs, this is something that I have a hard time with and end up relying on dumb luck to get anything close to this. You clearly have a knack for this.

I found the blur of the bars distracting on the eyes, although generally I very much like the presence of such artifacts because they often tell a story on their own and go a long ways to describe the scene. If the bars were merely out of focus, and not showing camera shake, you would have yourself a near perfect image.

In this particular photograph, I liked how the noise seemed to add something to the image. Often there is a tricky balance between the noise and image quality, but I think you pulled this off nicely. I think removing the colour helped you out a little here.

Overall, a very nice photograph. I have added it as one of my favourites.