NatGeo Photo of The Day Downhill Continues: A Cat on the Snow

What do you think, should this be published as a Photo of the Day at National Geographic?

http://photography.nat​ionalgeographic.com/ph​otography/photo-of-the-day

Have a look at the highly uninformative description that doesn't even tell where the photo was taken. There are lynxes in several continents and zoos. I think in this case it makes a huge difference whether it is from a zoo or not.

It's a good reader's photo but it was NatGeo that decided to publish it and the amateur description with their name on it. I'm not blaming the photographer but NatGeo and low quality trend at Photo of the Day.

I still connect National Geographic with amazing photos and insightful information. I might soon change my opinion as I see these daily and the magazine only once a month.

I don't see this as huge issue and don't understand your concern. I take it in the context of the area it was sent in to, photo of the day. It is not a story by NG and the concept of the photo of the day is for readers to display their photography and it not need to have a story behind it. Whether it was taken in the wild or in captivity it is still a nice shot. Whether it was taken in Europe or North America, it is still a nice shot. Sure it might be nice to know where it was taken but as you say they are spread across a large geographic area so I view it as just another animal shot that is being shared. Have you shared your opinion with NG which is where the change can be made only if they know the readers opinion.

I understand your concern. BTW, the shot hurts my eyes..... someone must have used unsharp mask sharping too generously. Nah...just another photo, that's all.

TooManyShots wrote in post #11923972
I understand your concern. BTW, the shot hurts my eyes..... someone must have used unsharp mask sharping too generously. Nah...just another photo, that's all.

That, or turned up the intensity in Lightroom 100%

ssim wrote in post #11923917
I don't see this as huge issue and don't understand your concern. I take it in the context of the area it was sent in to, photo of the day. It is not a story by NG and the concept of the photo of the day is for readers to display their photography

It 's National Geographic's Photo of the Day. That rises my expectations very high and makes me expect NG quality.

These used to be previously published and unpublished images from National Geographic assignments but at some point they decided to include reader's photos as well.

ssim wrote in post #11923917
Whether it was taken in the wild or in captivity it is still a nice shot. Whether it was taken in Europe or North America, it is still a nice shot.

Lynxes are not easy to see so it would be a good shot of a wild lynx but I would expect a lot more from a zoo shot published in NG.

National Geographic isn't just photos but also about information. I've seen their advertisement where they say they spend more time per page than any other publication (or something similar). They have researches to verify the facts in their magazine stories.

They could have asked for more information from the photographer or they could have provided it themselves.

ssim wrote in post #11923917
Have you shared your opinion with NG which is where the change can be made only if they know the readers opinion.

I left the very first comment on the photo and many others commented that they would like to have more information as well.

I was expecting a house cat, which is something that would possibly make me think that NG is going downhill. Photo a day is free, right?

Would a lion in the Africa be a just a cat in the dirt?

StuJohnston wrote in post #11925673
Photo a day is free, right?

It is free but in the internet you need to share more in order to earn more. For me it isn't that free since I've been a member for about ten years.

Businesses would die for content that makes people return regularly to their site. National Geographic's archives are a gold mine in this sense but they have decided to cut costs instead of attracting people to their site.

StuJohnston wrote in post #11925673
Would a lion in the Africa be a just a cat in the dirt?

The only info given by NG "A lynx sits on a snow-covered rock" basically means "A cat on the snow"

Isn't that a reader-submitted shot?

It almost seems like the focus is on the sticks to the left of the Lynx...

I guess I share the view that's it's not an absolute unparalleled work of art...but I don't really get the issue either; it's a reader submitted image on a site that's free to view...

Overall merit is always going to be subjective but I can unequivocally say this; it's better than any photos I've taken today!

I don't see the big deal. It meets NG published guidelines and suggestions for photo submissions. A lynx posing in the snow isn't just something that we can all walk outside and snap a photo of. And if it is...then stop fussing and go shoot it lol Kudos to the photographer.

I actually like the photo. And if I was the photographer, I'd be pleased with my work!

I'm not criticizing the photo but the fact that National Geographic published it with minimal information. If NG would be a new organization, it could never achieve its current status with this kind of publishing.

I would be less concerned if NG would have Reader's Photo of the Day but now they mix reader's photos and the work done by their comissioned photographers.

I'm also quite sure that NG archives would contain photos of lynxes that demonstrate their natural behavior or lynxes doing something surprising in a spectacular background or light.

Now the only informational bit was "a lynx looks like this" or "snow looks like this"

Today they are doing much better with Japanese Macaques

http://photography.nat​ionalgeographic.com …japanese-macaques-nagano/

A paragraph or two of background information really makes a difference.