Why is it that some pictures appeal to us and some don’t? Let’s first take ‘why some pictures don’t appeal’. The reasons could be varied – the subject could be uninteresting, the composition (framing) could be wrong, the lighting could be ‘flat’ or having too much contrast, the exposure could be less than perfect, the image could be shaky or out of focus, the subject could have been ‘done to death’, the ‘presentation’ could be poor (not getting rid of dust bunnies, scratches, disturbing elements etc), or, a very important reason – there is no story to tell. The reasons for us liking a photo are the opposites – interesting or rare subject, good lighting, good exposure, good (or reasonably good) sharpness, good framing and presentation, and it has a story to tell.
Very often, a picture that tells a story, wins the day.
Smart Photography is pleased to present one such story-telling picture received (Image is heavily cropped) from Manoj K. Bind from Amravati, Maharashtra. The image title is “Momy, Save Me!” Here’s what Manoj had to say…
“I witnessed a high-voltage drama between these three characters. It probably was the very first outing of this Common Coot chick and hence it was trying to maintain a close distance to the mother. It was very much unaware of the real-world dangers. Suddenly, a River Tern appeared and seeing this little coot getting further away from its mother, it went into an attack mode. The Coot chick was shocked and tremendously frightened; barely floating and struggling to keep afloat, it was trying to get its mom’s attention by flapping its little wings and loudly calling-out for help. Seeing her baby in danger, the caring mom rushed back at electrifying speed. She put-up a brave fight for almost two minutes with the villain of the story – the River Tern. The Tern eventually conceeded defeat and flew away. A mother’s eternal love and courage always wins!” |SP
