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01/16/2006 12:37:15 PM · #1 |
I had such high hopes for my "burst of colour" entry... The comments I got were all quite positive but then I only manage to end up at 33%... I thought my picture met the challenge better than some (where the whole picture or background was colourful rather than the main subject...)
looking at the nice bell curve I see that the majority of people gave it 5...
I really liked this and I thought it was one of my personal bests, and I suppose in the end that is what it is about.
but then I'm wondering whether doing these challenges is of any use. I hardly get any commetns or suggentions on how to improve (I have entered some rather awful pictures in some of the other challenges and I got what I deserved there)
also the pictures that I score well don't seem to do very well, while pictures I don't like seem to win. Maybe this is just not the site for me to be on...
Can anyone who voted 5 or below please comment on what it was they didn't like, or whould do to improve this picture in their mind?
I'm really curious.
Cheers,
Ingrid
Message edited by author 2006-01-16 12:47:21. |
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01/16/2006 12:41:37 PM · #2 |
| Ingrid, YOUR average vote cast is only 3.71, yet your photo scored a 5.18, so you should be absolutely thrilled with how far above average you are. |
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01/16/2006 12:43:33 PM · #3 |
I gave you a 5 cuz it just doesn't have sharp focus. I thought it was an ok idea, though.
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01/16/2006 12:44:37 PM · #4 |
I didn't vote on it but to me the photo is just a garden snapshot,no special lights and effects.Focus is little soft (actually the focus is in the upper right corner flower)and selective desaturation does not always look good.
Good luck next time.And make sure the main light and focus is on the main subject.
Now you can slap me :-)
Message edited by author 2006-01-16 12:45:45. |
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01/16/2006 12:45:55 PM · #5 |
Do yourself a favor and forget about scores. I do not believe that one is able to objectively assess one's own works if worrying about what scores it will receive. It clouds your judgement, and will sometimes make you afraid to enter a photo, which is unfortunate because you will learn way more from "bad" entries. Just keep taking pictures and working your hobby. Listen to the comments and see if you can understand why they were given. Have fun.
--jrjr
Message edited by author 2006-01-16 12:46:56. |
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01/16/2006 12:51:43 PM · #6 |
I scored it a 6. I really like the idea but thought it too was a tad OOF. Have you tried Neat Image, then maybe a bit of sharpening, that might really bring it out.
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01/16/2006 12:51:44 PM · #7 |
I can think of a few reasons why it might not've scored very high..
1. The red and yellow seem a bit dull. Put it side-by-side with some of the top 10 photos and you'll see what I mean. Probably because the lighting wasn't very good.
2. It's not very sharp. The focus appears to be off just a little. The noise from your ISO 800 detracts a little. It would've looked better if you used ISO 100 and didn't give up on setting your tripod in the right position.
3. The composition could be improved. The other flowers seem to stand out just as much or almost as much as your main subject. The one on the left side is very bright, but half of your subject appears to be in a shadow. It would be better if the light was focused more on the main subject and the other flowers didn't compete with it so much.
4. Some people here just don't like the selective desaturation techique.
I didn't vote on this one but probably would've given it a 5.
I hope that helps! |
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01/16/2006 12:56:19 PM · #8 |
left a comment - looks like while i was typig eveyone else left the same comments
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01/16/2006 12:56:44 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by jrjr:
Do yourself a favor and forget about scores. I do not believe that one is able to objectively assess one's own works if worrying about what scores it will receive. It clouds your judgement, and will sometimes make you afraid to enter a photo, which is unfortunate because you will learn way more from "bad" entries. Just keep taking pictures and working your hobby. Listen to the comments and see if you can understand why they were given. Have fun.
--jrjr |
yep I agree
Edit* dont get your hopes up it wont help if it flops just think as long as some people like it is doesnt matter.
Message edited by author 2006-01-16 12:57:52. |
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01/16/2006 12:58:03 PM · #10 |
| The challenges are just for fun in my opinion. THe real reason I come to this site though is for the forums, I just love all the fightin... er I mean.. learning I can do here ;) |
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01/16/2006 01:07:09 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Megatherian:
The challenges are just for fun in my opinion. THe real reason I come to this site though is for the forums, I just love all the fightin... er I mean.. learning I can do here ;) |
Damn it, Dan How many time have I told you? No Fighting in the Forums! :) |
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01/16/2006 01:11:57 PM · #12 |
Hey Ingrid: Since you already have 13+ challenges, here is what I suggest. First you have good ideas. There is some improvement needed on technique. As you progress you will learn more and any book on lighting will pay off great dividends. Another on post processing will yield better results.
However, my best advise is to study the archives and examine all of the top 20 images. After you have done so many you will begin to be more self critical of your own images. On the software side try to master levels. Keep on trucking and do not allow these early scores to discourage you. You can do better and you will. Remember: there are two related parts: the capture and the post processing. Poor post processing can ruin your best effort and expert post processing can not make a bad capture outstanding.
No need to quit this early in the game, there are many lessons awaiting you but your desire to succeed must remain intact. Seek and you should find. Believe me, there are many lessons to sharpen your style if you would just look and look and DPC has quite a collection of good images all at your fingertips. Do not be affraid to contact any of us with questions. Stick with it!
Message edited by author 2006-01-16 13:12:39. |
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01/16/2006 01:18:04 PM · #13 |
i definitely agree with jrjr...don't pay any attention to your scores...for a while i considered quitting this site...i have alot of photos i thought were WAY better than their scores...now i just submit for fun and for the helpful comments, although i haven't received many lately (and yes i know i'm guilty of not giving them, too).
don't give up...just don't take scores too seriously |
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01/16/2006 01:26:37 PM · #14 |
I have left a comment on the photo, definitely dont give up, this is where we learn so much, and at the end of the day I really liked the concept of this shot, just think the contrast/saturation was a bit dull probably because of the lighting and the focus was on the wrong flower.
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01/16/2006 01:31:46 PM · #15 |
| I gave it an 8, like beetle your average vote cast of 3.7 indicate that you also vote low, do you give a reason for a 4 or below? just a thought |
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01/16/2006 02:02:51 PM · #16 |
Hi...
Don't give up!!! This site will make you a better photgrapher..even if you don't win a slew of ribbons!
I am a visual learner so I took your photo and did a few quick edits to help illustrate what I like in a photo. Please don't take offense...I don't believe in one photographer changing another photographers photo but...for illustration purposes :-D
I gave you photo a 5...not so much of what I didn't like about it but more what didn't catch my eye.
Some issues that hit me...and please remember...it's just me and my taste. There are lots of others out there too!
The Red flower, even though it was centered, did no feel like the actual subject. The whole group of flowers felt like the subject. So, I zoomed in a bit and did a little more of a creative crop. Offsetting crops often will highlight a subject better than centered subjects and give a flair to the subject. You can shoose any offset you want..I went for the typical "Sun in the Sky" corner shot.
Next, I did a little blurring to seperate the flower from the back flowers, glowing to bring out a bit of an ethereal feel and sharpening. I always like to give a bit of an "S" curve to my photos to make the contrast pop. In this photo I went into selective colors and popped the red and yellow a bit, flared the white a touch, brightned the nuetral and did the old tricky "Velvet" black touch by adding a plus five to all the channels in black. That give that velvety black you see in good film.
Finally, put a nice white border of complimentary size and..Voila!
It aint perfect but it catches MY eye better and maybe that is the ticket to make me look at it longer to give it a higher score..which is half the battle :-D
Hope this helps keep you here a bit longer :-)
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01/16/2006 02:49:28 PM · #17 |
Nice job, Hokie! Ingrid, listen up to Hokie and Graphicfunk, they speak words of wisdom. A lot of us here are happy to help you if you ask; there's quite a bit of individual "mentoring" taking place.
Robt. |
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01/16/2006 04:58:03 PM · #18 |
thanks eveyone for your comments.
I'm beginning to see what people mean.
I obviously lack the knowledge about post-processing... most of the words used in your advice is goobledigoock to me! but I will look it up and learn!
it's nice to hear that my ideas are OK (that's the hardest part I think) but I can improve technique!
I've just started basic photography city&guilds and although I've got to grab my film camera for that I'm sure I'll learn things I can use to improve my digital pictures (It might cut down on the post processing needed!)
Thanks again!
ps: I know my average given score is quite low... it's creeping up slowly and where I can make suggestions on what I would do differently in a shot I do comment. |
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01/16/2006 05:05:27 PM · #19 |
I gave it a 5. I felt that it was too out of focus and too noisy for the conditions. Photos like this which are shot in a controlled environment (or appear so) can't have any technical flaws. Your own comment sums that up. You didn't have the appropriate light to hand hold the photo but you did anyway. Yes, you should have worked harder with the tripod :) Cutting corners never gets you much.
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01/16/2006 05:15:39 PM · #20 |
| I did not vote on this particular image, but I think the focus is soft and I don't care for the centerd composition. Just take it as a learning experience (trust me I've had to do that many times :-)) This is such a great venue for learning, but it can be hard sometimes. Keep clicking.. |
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01/16/2006 05:21:52 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by Beetle:
Ingrid, YOUR average vote cast is only 3.71, yet your photo scored a 5.18, so you should be absolutely thrilled with how far above average you are. |
I'd say for the harshness with which you judge other members images you shouldn't really be complaining.
But here is a critique because you asked.
The image is fuzzy as are the colors. The color of the flower looks less the real. The image looks over Photoshopped. The selective de-saturation if done in the manner in which you have done it always gets a low vote from me. I lean toward the subtle. Your image is not.
How to improve. When doing selective de-saturation leave a hint of color in the places you which to de-emphasize. Use a tripod for sharper focus. Alter colors sparingly or not at all.
You thought you could improve on nature. In this case I disagree.
I would also disagree in part with what Hokie stated. Granted he is only trying to improve your image after you have already over edited it, but I say less is more. Start with a well exposed sharp image and there is much less need for PS. I do agree with Hokie on the composition improvement.
Message edited by author 2006-01-16 17:29:12.
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01/16/2006 06:26:55 PM · #22 |
Hello Ingrid,
I gave your photo a 7 because I liked the fact it was literally a burst of color ... I didn't comment at any length other than nice for a few reasons... one, I am not experienced in the technical aspect of photography and because I am doing my best to vote on all the entries so that means taking short cuts. Maybe it would be better if I only voted in the required 20% and went into greater detail about the photos I do rate... what do others think? Also, I know that for me, it's easy to get down on myself when I don't get any (or very few) comments when I post a photo and ask for feedback...then reality check time... people are busy and I don't give a lot of my time in giving feedback (I am busy) But you have raised a good point and I will try harder to offer a comment with a bit more depth to it than......... 'nice'
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01/16/2006 06:55:30 PM · #23 |
Even more comments!
cheers.
and thanks for explainging higher than 5 scores as well. it's nice to hear from people who though the picture is not too bad as it is!
I thought it might be worth uploading the original picture.
with more time I probabaly would have taken more care with a tripod and the editing... but part of the challenge is also doing it in the time frame set. and with a full time and demanding job it's not always easy to find the time... I know excuses excuses...
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01/16/2006 07:07:36 PM · #24 |
I preferred the original .. I like the use of natural colour to create an impact of natural colour e.g. th white folows vs the red ... Although I did score your picture a five, the selective de-sat didn't do anything for it.
Kari |
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01/16/2006 08:08:27 PM · #25 |
It looks like you were dealing with a tough photo to begin with. I d/l your original, and it is underexposed by a fair margin. I did not score your image, however I agree that about a 5 is what I would give it.
I tend to agree with others that considering how low you rate other photographs...a five would be a ribbon worthy score. :)You have to admit that creating a post like this asking for reasons why you are not getting higher votes, while voting everyone else much, much lower is not going to create much sympathy for you. However I am not trying to berate you, just tell you like I see it. (be it right or wrong)
It took me awhile when I started here (not so very long ago) to separate how I vote on other's images from how my own image is scoring in the challenge. I try very hard to score images based on how I view them myself, without building in my own personal bell curve of thinking that since my photo should be a 7, and is getting rated a 4, that I should discount others by the same amount. Rating someone else's image higher than yours is getting rated, even though you know yours is better, is tough to do, but the two should never be connected. :)
Just for kicks I also did a bit of work with your original photo and came up with this. I used levels to fix the underexposure, then desaturated the yellow (not including the yellow in the red flower) to keep with your original idea. I then used the shadow/highlight to adjust to taste.
Ernie |
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