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DPChallenge Forums >> Challenge Results >> Hidden Gem.....Seriously?
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03/18/2009 09:14:50 AM · #1
Now I normally don't like to gripe, whine and complain about challenge results publically. But this seemed ridiculous to me.
Originally posted by challenge description:

Dig through your archives and show us the best photo you've ever taken with a digital camera.

THE BEST PHOTO YOU'VE EVER TAKEN. Not the best photo you've ever processed. You mean to tell me the best of the best are in the top 50? It seems like the challenge results was "best edited photo". Granted I love a great landscape photo as well, but you mean to tell me that is the epitome of the photogs at DPC? I interpreted this challenge different I suppose and got my expectations too high. Here is some of the qualities I believe the photo needed to possess in order to make it worthy of a high score during voting:
1. An extraordinary amount of patients and/or luck to achieve that shot
2. A lot of dedication to achieve that shot
3. Putting your life in danger to get a shot
4. An extraordinary amount of work that went into a shot and
5. Or a photo that tells a story that is out of the norm for all of us.

Of course there are many many others. My point is more of a question....What have we become? A group of people that vote based on editing of stagnant objects? Or should we vote based on effort, subject matter, hard work, and uniqueness in a challenge like this?

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 09:27:26.
03/18/2009 09:24:18 AM · #2
Look at my sig.

03/18/2009 09:25:52 AM · #3
My favorites didn't all end up scoring well, but how a shot was achieved doesn't seem to correlate well with how the final product is received. Most viewers simply don't care. I can appreciate what goes into a shot but that doesn't make it any better or worse.

Subject matter, uniqueness, and creativity, now those are a different story.
03/18/2009 09:42:18 AM · #4
Originally posted by Fetor:

Now I normally don't like to gripe, whine and complain about challenge results publically. But this seemed ridiculous to me.
Originally posted by challenge description:

Dig through your archives and show us the best photo you've ever taken with a digital camera.

THE BEST PHOTO YOU'VE EVER TAKEN. Not the best photo you've ever processed. You mean to tell me the best of the best are in the top 50? ...

I didn't have time to go thru years of photos so I picked one I thought would "ok" for the DPC Olympics.
03/18/2009 10:26:52 AM · #5
As I said somewhere else, 1000th challenge did not mean the tastes of the voters changed overnight so why is it a surprise as to which shots scored well? Whether or not the photo was someone's best shot ever or not is entirely besides the point.
03/18/2009 10:29:24 AM · #6
This is a photo editing challenge website. You will rarely see a ribbon on a photo that was not worked on extensivly.
03/18/2009 10:40:38 AM · #7
Originally posted by kenskid:

This is a photo editing challenge website. You will rarely see a ribbon on a photo that was not worked on extensivly.


Nonsense. We see 6 a week in the basic editing challenges.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 10:43:56.
03/18/2009 10:42:04 AM · #8
It looks like the average taste just averaged out a little more than usual.

Three landscapes placed at the top but those types of images are the least controvertial, offensive, artistically agressive or simply put, offer less for the average viewer to dislike.

I assume that's all it boils down to.

I can't believe this one didn't Blue...



It's easily the most original shot in the top 30-40. At least, it's nothing I've seen before. I could see that images being used as art, commercially...anywhere. The Photographer should make a poster of it and come up with a cool slogan or something and I'd bet it would be snapped up by a Pet Products company or gracing the walls of every Vet across the country.

The Camel Taj Mahal shot is very cool too and I'm suprised that placed behind hyper saturated landscapes.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 10:52:52.
03/18/2009 10:50:53 AM · #9
Originally posted by pawdrix:


The Camel Taj Mahal shot is very cool too and I'm suprised that placed behind hyper saturated landscapes.


Why are you surprised?
03/18/2009 10:55:36 AM · #10
I'm kinda disappointed with the result, but I expected the winners to be landscapes. However that Camel one of the Taj Mahal is really something special.
03/18/2009 10:56:46 AM · #11
I'm suprised because the landscapes are so incredibly common and those that won aren't even the best ones I've seen. In general and ona personal note I find them pretty dull at this point. Whereas that Camel/Taj images is not only world class but original. I've never seen that shot before and that usually counts for a lot...even here.

PLUS...it's Third-World-A-Licious!!!

Third World RULZZZ.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 11:04:45.
03/18/2009 10:57:08 AM · #12
Originally posted by cujee:

I'm kinda disappointed with the result, but I expected the winners to be landscapes. However that Camel one of the Taj Mahal is really something special.


Absolutely. If only because the concept of a wading camel is so counter-intuitive, LOL.

R.
03/18/2009 11:04:09 AM · #13
Originally posted by pawdrix:

I'm suprised because the landscapes are so incredibly common and those that won aren't even the best ones I've seen. Whereas that Camel/Taj images is not only world class but original. I've never seen that shot before and that usually counts for a lot...even here.

PLUS...it's Third-World-A-Licious!!!

Third World RULZZZ.


I completely agree with you with regard to the camel/Taj image. And with your take on the landscapes. My question is in regard to your surprise that landscapes won this challenge. I think there are dozens of images in this challenge that merit a lot more recognition but DPC, as an entity, always prefers the pretty. Nothing wrong with pretty but...
03/18/2009 11:09:59 AM · #14
I'm not suprised that landscapes did well but the images I mentioned (Dogs/Cat and The Taj) were both special and nothing offensive (that I could find) where even the average viewer would be able to pull them down.

Maybe there's a few cat or camel haters out there that I wasn't aware of...?

The Blue is very nice but the other two are a dime-a-dozen around here so I didn't think they would rally much attention by comparison.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 11:13:17.
03/18/2009 11:14:31 AM · #15
I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, it drives me nuts that every challenge seems to be judged this way. Almost every shot is photoshopped to death. Whatever happened to pure photography?

Personally, I think all challenges should be limited to basic editing.
03/18/2009 11:35:10 AM · #16
Originally posted by dpatterson:

I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, it drives me nuts that every challenge seems to be judged this way. Almost every shot is photoshopped to death. Whatever happened to pure photography?

Personally, I think all challenges should be limited to basic editing.


Then maybe you are on the wrong site. Its been like this long before you joined up. FWIW, my entry was not `photoshopped` to death, a crop, a border and and colour cast tweak, that was all, would of passed in a basic editing challenge quite nicely.
03/18/2009 11:41:07 AM · #17
I didnt want to say anything myself but I was a little surprised by the entries. I think a lot of people thought they had to enter old pictures rather then enter something more recent? I couldnt really figure it out myself. I thought I would see a lot of great modeling shots and studio stuff and some stuff was just like "what?". hhaha.

I like the winning pictures but...I dont know. I got a little confused by this challenge all the way around.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 11:44:59.
03/18/2009 11:46:44 AM · #18
Originally posted by dpatterson:

I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, it drives me nuts that every challenge seems to be judged this way. Almost every shot is photoshopped to death. Whatever happened to pure photography?

Personally, I think all challenges should be limited to basic editing.


That's baloney. Throughout the history of photography, including (and especially) the era of film photography, there have been plenty of 'masters' who have extensively post-processed their work.
And there have been just as many 'masters' who hardly processed their work at all after the initial shutter click.

In the final image, neither's work is more or less valid as an example of great photography.

That's how it is here on DPC (as in the real world). Some people are virtuosoes of impeccable timing or brilliant setups, whereas others are geniuses at processing images. But it's all still photography.
So some will excel at basic editing, and some will excel during advanced editing challenges.

And if you're pissed off because all the guys with great PS editing skills keep winning all the advanced editing challenges, then stop complaining about their photographs and rather improve your PS skills...

If you'd given Ansel Adams a copy of PS he would have studied every aspect of it and be wiping the floor with all of us on any given 'Advanced Editing' challenge...
03/18/2009 11:47:12 AM · #19
Dedication in taking a shot is generally only rewarding to the photographer themselves.
For example, would you want a bad image of the Aurora by someone who travelled all the way to the arctic to take it to score higher than a good image by someone who can see the northern lights out of their backyard?
Effort in taking an image, patience, and many of the other qualities you mentioned don't necessarily make a good image to the outside viewer. It'll make your own photographs mean more to you, however.

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 11:57:38.
03/18/2009 11:54:26 AM · #20
Photography is also editing/processing/development. As long as it helps the image to become a better image, it's fine for me. It's completely legit.
03/18/2009 11:59:25 AM · #21
I agree with Tygerr and add: how do we know how difficult it was for someone to take a photo. If we only reward those who are able to get to great scenery and not "stagnant objects" then we exclude those folks who for some reason are unable to even leave their homes. I know some time ago I read of someone on this site with physical disabliities.

I am on this site for fun only. I am raising a 5 year old grandson and don't get out much. I just enjoy the challenge of trying to meet the challenge. There is no real prize here. I compete against myself.

I laugh sometimes when I read some of these forums and then look at the ages of the people who write some of this stuff. From some of the comments I sometimes guess they are high school kids and boy am I wrong.
03/18/2009 12:00:20 PM · #22
I have nothing against editing photos. I edit my photos to death a lot of times. I just dont agree with the masses. Like in most situations

Message edited by author 2009-03-18 12:00:29.
03/18/2009 12:08:17 PM · #23
I agree with you. There are many outstanding photos that didn't see the recognition they deserved. I think it's a shame. But hey, people have voted. Who am I to say people are wrong? :) In the end, it's all a matter of taste.
03/18/2009 12:13:47 PM · #24
The top three are pretty, but devoid of meaning.
03/18/2009 12:16:05 PM · #25
I agree that many shots over processed got high votes and i really don't like that. But i think that most people didn't vote all the images, and with so much of photos, some would obviously get unfair scores (in your or my opinion).
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