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DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> This wiped the Smile outta my face!
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08/20/2012 02:59:26 PM · #1


Ok guys, I thought I had a pretty decent entry for the smile challenge but was in for a surprise on my score (but that may well be due to the fact that the subject was my son who is obviously very dear to me).. Unfortunately not a single comment to see where I went wrong.

I would really appreciate open feedback on what was not up to the mark (composition, processing, etc.) to help me improve as a photographer. Thanks!
08/20/2012 03:07:30 PM · #2
I gave it a 3.

The composition was nice along with his expression, but I'm not a fan of the grain this photo has at 1600. The eyebrows, lashes, and eyes all lack detail which I like in portraits. The same carries over to the hair line. I understand some people will like this look, I'm not one of them, at least for this particular photo. There also looks to be a halo effect everywhere, so I have to assume you jacked the highlights & shadows given the camera settings.

Message edited by author 2012-08-20 15:08:02.
08/20/2012 03:09:21 PM · #3
Originally posted by Venser:

I gave it a 3.

The composition was nice along with his expression, but I'm not a fan of the grain this photo has at 1600. The eyebrows, lashes, and eyes all lack detail which I like in portraits. The same carries over to the hair line. I understand some people will like this look, I'm not one of them, at least for this particular photo. There also looks to be a halo effect everywhere, so I have to assume you jacked the highlights & shadows given the camera settings.


Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated!
08/20/2012 03:11:28 PM · #4
Originally posted by Venser:

I gave it a 3.

The composition was nice along with his expression, but I'm not a fan of the grain this photo has at 1600. The eyebrows, lashes, and eyes all lack detail which I like in portraits. The same carries over to the hair line. I understand some people will like this look, I'm not one of them, at least for this particular photo. There also looks to be a halo effect everywhere, so I have to assume you jacked the highlights & shadows given the camera settings.


That's not just grain... There's something really funny about the processing. Lack of detail, eyebrows that are light gray, I don't know... Something just went horribly wrong in the processing here.

Message edited by author 2012-08-20 15:11:50.
08/20/2012 03:14:36 PM · #5
Technically, it's a mess. The highlights on the whole bright half of the face are blown to the point of having zero detail. Something wonky's going on with the shadows around the hairline and the neck, that kind of posterized gray thing happening. The pose and composition are nice. It's not easy to tell if you have focus or not, whether some of the lack of focus is due to the pushed processing.

If you'd like to send me the original, I could make some suggestions, have a play at it. My e-mail's ion my profile page.

R.
08/20/2012 03:16:28 PM · #6
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Technically, it's a mess. The highlights on the whole bright half of the face are blown to the point of having zero detail. Something wonky's going on with the shadows around the hairline and the neck, that kind of posterized gray thing happening. The pose and composition are nice. It's not easy to tell if you have focus or not, whether some of the lack of focus is due to the pushed processing.

If you'd like to send me the original, I could make some suggestions, have a play at it. My e-mail's ion my profile page.

R.


I was going to cover this, and then what do you know. Bear comes along and saves me some time.
08/20/2012 03:18:18 PM · #7
Originally posted by Cory:

Originally posted by Venser:

I gave it a 3.

The composition was nice along with his expression, but I'm not a fan of the grain this photo has at 1600. The eyebrows, lashes, and eyes all lack detail which I like in portraits. The same carries over to the hair line. I understand some people will like this look, I'm not one of them, at least for this particular photo. There also looks to be a halo effect everywhere, so I have to assume you jacked the highlights & shadows given the camera settings.


That's not just grain... There's something really funny about the processing. Lack of detail, eyebrows that are light gray, I don't know... Something just went horribly wrong in the processing here.


The ISO had to be set at 1600 as this was shot without a flash and the ambient light was quite low. I'm actually not good with processing and seem to get carried away with HDR toning of portraits these days! Will try to avoid doing that going forward. Thanks guys, much appreciated!

Message edited by author 2012-08-20 15:20:28.
08/20/2012 03:19:24 PM · #8
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

The highlights on the whole bright half of the face are blown to the point of having zero detail.

Is it just me, or can others see detail in the thumb which gets eaten up in the highlights on the larger version?
08/20/2012 03:20:07 PM · #9
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Technically, it's a mess. The highlights on the whole bright half of the face are blown to the point of having zero detail. Something wonky's going on with the shadows around the hairline and the neck, that kind of posterized gray thing happening. The pose and composition are nice. It's not easy to tell if you have focus or not, whether some of the lack of focus is due to the pushed processing.

If you'd like to send me the original, I could make some suggestions, have a play at it. My e-mail's ion my profile page.

R.


Thanks Bear, I will mail you the original!
08/20/2012 03:22:21 PM · #10
I was one of your two's. Honestly I couldn't find a whole lot technically to give it merit for. The subject and composition are OK. But truthfully the rest of it as others has stated is just a big ole mess.

I have a system that starts at 5 and meeting the challenge gets points not meeting it deducts points, then technical merit is the same. This had only meeting the challenge going for it, so much technically wrong that actually using my system would vote it lower than a 2, but meeting the challenge brought it up to a 2.

Matt
08/20/2012 03:35:22 PM · #11
Originally posted by MattO:

I was one of your two's. Honestly I couldn't find a whole lot technically to give it merit for. The subject and composition are OK. But truthfully the rest of it as others has stated is just a big ole mess.

I have a system that starts at 5 and meeting the challenge gets points not meeting it deducts points, then technical merit is the same. This had only meeting the challenge going for it, so much technically wrong that actually using my system would vote it lower than a 2, but meeting the challenge brought it up to a 2.

Matt


Thanks Matt!
08/20/2012 04:06:16 PM · #12
I gave it a 5, but only because I liked the subject and smile. The processing otherwise killed it.

I think Bear hit the nail on the head with 'posterization'. Looks like it was saved as a 20 color GIF and converted to JPG? Or maybe saved as a 10% compression in JPG mode? Still, being 100 kb, it could have a lot more detail.
08/26/2012 01:13:25 PM · #13
Hi, Rakesh. I see you're pretty new here, so welcome!

I agree with all the technical points people have made, but with that said ...

Do YOU like it?

DPC is a very, very blunt environment, and people often focus on technicals to the exclusion of other characteristics. That can be useful when you're learning what works technically, and to some extent artistically. I can't tell you how much I've learned from straightforward comments like the ones people have left here, and I mark every one as helpful when they come on my own entries.

But it can't be said enough: what works on DPC isn't necessarily what works elsewhere. Photos hanging in museums would often score 2 or 3 here. Outstanding photos regularly score 6s and below here. In fact, 6.0 is a solid score and 6.5 and up is a fantastic DPC score.

Also, what people who voted it low think of it isn't even the only opinion worth soliciting on DPC.

Go look at the thread about "Posthumous Awards" ( Posthumous is a DPCer who likes to explore photos beyond razor sharp, perfectly lit, etc.) for examples that often score low on DPC but are admired anyway.

In short, think about what YOU like. Learn how to produce a wide range of photos, with varying degrees of technical perfection, and then use your own aesthetic sense when evaluating your own work.
08/26/2012 01:59:18 PM · #14
On the subject of appreciating criticism (that is, real criticism like what you've gotten in this thread): //kennethjarecke.typepad.com/mostly_true/2012/02/chances-are-you-suck.html

I know it might seem contradictory, what I'm saying here about useful criticism vs. what I said earlier about finding what YOU like, but they're really two sides of the same coin. Learn from others' views, but find your own style.

Here's an example:


The comments were very helpful. Even when people just say "I don't like it," it reminds me there are different tastes in the world. But the ones who told me why they didn't like it were especially helpful.

Now, I love this image. Love it so much it's been my desktop photo on my work computer ever since I took it. Not just because it's my daughter, but because I genuinely like it.

So hearing, and appreciating, helpful criticism isn't a separate thing from finding your own way.

Message edited by author 2012-08-26 13:59:28.
08/26/2012 03:22:35 PM · #15
Originally posted by levyj413:

On the subject of appreciating criticism (that is, real criticism like what you've gotten in this thread): //kennethjarecke.typepad.com/mostly_true/2012/02/chances-are-you-suck.html

I know it might seem contradictory, what I'm saying here about useful criticism vs. what I said earlier about finding what YOU like, but they're really two sides of the same coin. Learn from others' views, but find your own style.

Here's an example:


The comments were very helpful. Even when people just say "I don't like it," it reminds me there are different tastes in the world. But the ones who told me why they didn't like it were especially helpful.

Now, I love this image. Love it so much it's been my desktop photo on my work computer ever since I took it. Not just because it's my daughter, but because I genuinely like it.

So hearing, and appreciating, helpful criticism isn't a separate thing from finding your own way.


Thanks so much for the most useful advice! I actually quite liked my photo although the technicals were far from being ideal.. Still like it but decided to get unbiased opinion since I may view it in a different light owing to it being a picture of my son and therefore being quite close to my heart.

On another note, I love your picture! :-)
09/04/2012 04:44:38 PM · #16
Rakesh,

I don't think that it is possible to be that objective when it comes to judging a photo of your own flesh and blood, they almost all look great! I can't disagree with what anyone else has said but I will say that I see little wrong with the artistic side of your shot - so the good news is that it looks like you have a perfect little model for the future!

Here's my take on the subject:



Message edited by author 2012-09-04 16:46:11.
09/04/2012 10:41:14 PM · #17
Rakesh sometimes when your processing goes off the rails, you can post up you original in your workshop, post a link in a thread, and let others have a crack at how they would process the image. You are in good hands with Robert, but if you want to see how others would work your image, it might be a route you want to try.

It is always tough to have an image of a person you love savaged in the scoring; but trust me it isn't your sons fault, like all of his flaws, they can safely be blamed on dad. Don't let this round get you down, he is a great subject, work on your post processing and try again.
09/04/2012 11:28:57 PM · #18
Thanks so much guys! I will put up an edited version up here shortly for your views. :-)
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