Orangutan in B&W

I am trying to develop a better sense of how to capture a subject and

make an interesting composition in my photos.

 

This was taken at Lowry Park Zoo here in Tampa. The original- one of

my personal favorites- was somewhat larger. I personally love it as

it was originally taken. Everything that I read about photography,

including critiques, seems to center around cropping the image

tighter. This appears to be the going trend, as all the photos I am

seeing anymore tend to be very tightly cropped. While I do

understand the concept of eliminating elements from an image that

detract from the main subject, I cannot help but to feel as though I

am now viewing almost all current photography through a keyhole.

 

I decided to give it a shot. I also changed the image to black and

white to get rid of some distracting background that was peeking

through. Even though I love the original, I readily admit that it

looks just like a picuture of an orangutan at the zoo.

 

Please comment. I greatly appreciate your comments and suggestions

on how I may improve.

I agree with your sentiment about cropping. The images that I put on this site are cropped tighter than what I normally do.

Good portrait, I like how the sad (?) expression was cropped.

 

regards

Maria