Looking for comments here, as I'm pondering entering this image into a state fair competition. I kind of like the bird with the leaves around it, as the face and eyes are there, and it places the bird in an environment, the aspen tree. But maybe I'm missing something and it's not that good.
Thanks for any help. The bird was shot in Yellowstone National Park, Canon 7DII, 800, 250 sec with a flash.
The image composition is interesting and eye contact is good. The branch in front doesn't help the image from my point of view. Is the bird pin sharp? If so I would consider a little more sharpening.
The eyes will certainly draw the people in - owls are always popular in contests for that reason. The leaves and branch in front of the subject are unfortunate, but part of the habitat. I do have to say that I do like the sprinkling of leaves overall though. I do find the image a tad on the "cool" side - adding a couple of points of reds to the overall colour balance would likely help. I would also add canvas left and top, if you have it. The single claw showing adds interest.
Competitions such as the one you are thinking about tend to be less picky than us critiquers on BPN. They will mostly look for images with instant impact and connection - your owl does offer that.