Vines
by NikonJeb

Comment by NiallOTuama:
like it :)

Vines
by NikonJeb

Comment by mitalapo:
like a giant insect from an horror movie

Ted's Tavern
by NikonJeb

Comment by NiallOTuama:
grass is always greener on the other side. didn't vote in this one. looks real cosy inside

Cleome
by NikonJeb

Comment by Cyrilda:
My internet is acting weird. Sorry double post.

Message edited by author 2016-11-14 12:05:49.

Cleome
by NikonJeb

Comment by Cyrilda:
I surely thought this photo would have done much better. I gave a 10 on this.

The Band
by NikonJeb

Comment by mitalapo:
I recall thinking you were suggesting the band as a whole is a distraction. I didn't agree.

The Band
by NikonJeb

Comment by wbanning:
Having recently tried my hand at shooting a 4-piece rockability band in a similarly tight, small environment, I completely get the challenge of creating a well-composed photo without the distraction of clutter from audio equipment, etc. Frankly, I think this is an appropriate entry for the challenge. It's full of distracting elements, yet it works well in highlighting the four musicians in the context of their venue. Actually, these kind of performances are most successful when the musicians create sounds that transcend the visual environment, when the music overwhelms all the other senses.

So... in a perfect visual world this image wouldn't have: a table intruding on the right, a microphone bumping into the forehead of the seated acoustic player, a music stand hiding the bongo player's right hand, a mic boom with green wire cutting her torso in two, the backgound bass(?) player's hands and instrrument covered by the singer, a disembodied head about the bassist and singer, a dark picture frame as the background to the singer's profile, a bright reflection on the floor that draws the eye away from the subject(s), a high contrast paned door wth a parking lot through it, distracting elements on the left border (red chair, table, water bottles, boom stand base, etc.).

And... despite all the distraction, this photo provides a sense of place and a sense of purpose - to make engaging music that makes anything visual completely irrelevant. I like it. I want to hear it.

The Band
by NikonJeb

Comment by nam:
I gave this a 5 which is very average on my scale. I guess I was looking for a photo that I thought otherwise very good except for one (or maybe two) things. I hate to use the term "snapshot" here at DPC but that's what this felt like - just a kind of grab shot of the moment. I definitely didn't like the mike and noticed it but the other huge thing that bothered me was having the singer on top of the standing guitarist. Plus all the other junk in the image, especially on the edges where you could have gotten rid of it easily with a crop.

The Band
by NikonJeb

Comment by 2mccs:
If i had to pick a distracting element i would have picked the picture of a head above the singers. I liked the blue light on the floor. But, i didnt really care how well it met the challenge description so i didnt look for a distraction - I trust you know how you got us here. I gave it a 6 because it was well photographed and i liked the strong contrast and arrangement of colors. I didn't give it a higher score because there isn't anything in particular that makes it interesting. If i were trying to imagine how to make it better i would imagine a person moving out of the scene with just an arm or hand still dangling in the shot, maybe a dog moving through fast enough to be blurry, anything genuine, spontaneous, odd, and/or never to be seen again. Maybe a special/strange look between the musicians or maybe a more wooden robotic look on all the faces-something/anything of interest.

The Band
by NikonJeb

Comment by PennyStreet:
I like the photo and I know I would have enjoyed hearing what they were playing. Looks like a great day and perfect venue... relaxed and pleasant fare. For me, there was no real distraction because this scene is just what I enjoy looking at so it didn't quite meet the challenge.
Cropping out the door on the left would bring more attention to the group but I like to know about the surroundings so if it were mine, I would not have thought about it. Now mentioned, maybe, but I still think I prefer it as is. Candids are never perfect... that's part of the beauty.
All these things are just my opinion though... gave it a 6.