Duck Man, LiJiang, Yunnan Provence, China by Michael Seewald

Please note the following:

• This image has been selected for discussion. It is not necessarily the "best" picture the Elves have seen this week, nor is it a contest.
• Discussion of photo.net policy, including the choice of Photograph of the Week should not take place here, but in the Help & Questions Forum.
• The About Photograph of the Week page tells you more about this feature of photo.net.
• Before writing a contribution to this thread, please consider our reason for having this forum: to help people learn about photography. Visitors have browsed the gallery, found a few striking images and want to know things like why is it a good picture, why does it work? Or, indeed, why doesn't it work, or how could it be improved? Try to answer such questions with your contribution.

Seemingly a very busy scene with lots of elements, but I think all the vertical lines (and the diagonal ones) make it seem very ordered and interesting. Good pose by the chef. Good colours and composition. I think the largest detractor by far to the image is the frame around the photo. I think it would be infintely prettier without it. Good job, though :-)

Well one certainly can't say that the composition doesn't direct the eye of the viewer to the main subject - it does that in spades, er, ducks, that is! "Triangulated, even!" - Limpy the Lion. lol Killer photo!

This is a photograph that ought to be very good. This is a great scene--a cook standing in the middle of a lot of dead ducks. All the elements are there for a masterpiece.

And it is awful.

I have tried to see as not awful but great and I couldn't. So what's wrong?

The frame is an ugly distraction; but that is not the problem. There are multiple problems.

The sepia tones and low contrast don't work. They're flat. Flat and monotonous. There seems to be an over-sharpening of the entire image. It looks unnatural. The angle is wrong. The upper and middle of the right side is dead space. No dead ducks. No dead ducks equals not interesting.

The cook's bland attitude ought to be a charming irony. Instead it is not. The cook is boring.

And the dead ducks are not all that interesting either.

I wish this photograph could be a success.

This is really a well done environmental portrait. I like the composition & subject a great deal. Does it tell a story? You bet. The processing is very good, as well. It's not overly done. I like the hanging ducks "Pointing" to the subject. It helps lead the viewer's eye to the cook. I wouldn't add more contrast or saturation. I think the frame fails. It's a bit heavy handed

There is so much to like here, detail, light, expression..the tilt of the cap and the scene as a whole. Its magic.

My reaction is not as bad as Alex, but I agree with many of the points. The upper left space is distracting dead space. The image seems tilted. I don't find the cook's pose, expression or tilted hat charming, I find it seemingly too posed and artificial. But most importantly, the dead tones and sepia treatment kill what should be a dramatic element that provides balance and contrast to the figure of the cook: those tables or drums to his lower left are covered with blood, but you can hardly tell that since the red color has been washed out.

overall the photo is quite appealing. the composition is very good as well. my problem is with the post processing. it appears dirty somewhat gritty. for me a kitchen one displayed in a restaurant setting should come across as pristine almost sterile. however perhaps the photographers intent was to come across as leaving us with a more gritty feel? also as far as detail is concerned yes some parts are very detailed however others not. the hanging ducks are not defined enough and there is a blackened area to the right hand lower corner of the photo. for me still one of the best and more interesting moments picked by the elves and that counts for a whole lot... all the best Micheal and congrats on being chosen for P.O.W,,,SAM