song of freedom

I'm giving full marks on vision and originality, as I can clearly see what you want to do and the shot is pretty unique. The way the bird is the only object in focus, with the "mass" behind it speaks volumes. You want the viewer to focus on the bird, you want the leaves to seem inferior to the bird and its flight.

Now, I can only give this a 3 on impact because of a few flaws. The leaves in the way of the camera appear to be palm trees: does that mean there is water in the background? If so, that should have been shown - it would have added so much. I also believe the shot should have been taken in full color, then have sepia applied to all parts of the photo except the bird. The bird appears to be "stone colored," which detracts from the theme of freedom.

While the shot is well done, the bird itself is somewhat mangled. There are several feathers that appear plucked. If I had the ability, I would renamed this picture to something like "Flight for Freedom," as it appears the poor thing is escaping from the black mass to the right, with mild injuries, in a very sobering sepia tone. This is not intended as an insult, I just want to make sure you see that your aim was somewhat off. A "Song for Freedom" isn't what I'm seeing, but the potential is definitely there to do so.