Different life on Miami Beach
by thomasjessen

Comment by andrewt:
This is a nicely captured potrait. Exposure on the person is great. Unfortunately the background will not go well especially in a FS. Background though natural is distracting with too many bright areas and the tree behind the person distracts. (No vote)

Different life on Miami Beach
by thomasjessen

Comment by CEJ:
Somehow I find the bright background very appropriate and instrumental in bringing out this man's character.

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by J-Me:

Originally posted by ELLIPS: The strange thing is that the yellow ribbon of the FS-challenge (the superb ) is actually showing a suffering animal.

Personally, I don't think that the two photos can be compared in terms of artistic value. While the bird photo is clearly of a suffering/dead animal, there is also beauty in the shot. It's also not a shot that I prefer to see but, the entirety of that shot is not "gore". It's harsh and yet, has elements of beauty at the same time.

"Run over..." has only elements of gore. There is nothing else to focus on in this shot and it's that fact that differentiates between what a viewer will view as "art" and what is considered "gross". (Sorry, but I don't see Digifoto's comment of "gross" as being horrible or unfair. The shot hits a lot of people as just plain gore. Digifoto seems to have given her first reaction as her comment and I don't see jumping on her comment as necessary nor, fair to be singled out.)

Neither of these two shots are my cup of tea, purely because I prefer not to see such suffering however, if I were to have to choose between the two, the difference is clear. The bird shot does have elements that are pleasing to the eye and mind. "Run over..." has no other elements that are pleasing in any way. From my perspective, that is the reason for the low score on this one and yet the other can ribbon.

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by thomasjessen:
Hi "Dr.Confuser"

Thanks for your comment. I agree with you. Different kinds of pictures make the this site more interesting.

We all have different interests, but for me it is very important, that our photos communicate and tell a story. It annoys me when people like "digifotojo" write something like mentioned below.

To ELLIPS:
I think the big difference between the yellow ribbon and my picture is one of them is man-made and the other one is pure nature! But what is common for both of them is that they represent life. I still think, despite it may sound narrow-mindedness, that my picture is undervalued and judged pretty hard simply because a lot of people can't take it.

Thomas

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by saintaugust:
this kind of thing would work well in ma gallery where people will likely appreciate it, not on a site where people vote with their gut mostly.

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by Dr.Confuser:
I donĂ¢€™t like the subject, but the quality of your photo is superb. It's clear that at least you're using your photo talent to communicate something you think is important. I have a lot of respect for a photographer who is willing to push out of the usual-DPC-Stock box and show us something new and (sometimes) risky. However unpleasant folks found the subject, it was an incredible photo to convey such a strong emotional payload.

In my view the final average score reflects folks' queasiness about the subject, not the quality of the photo.

One of the values of any art form is to make people think. And some of the world's great art is explicitly designed to make people think about hard things, unpleasant things, things that are wrong ... sometimes just to expose them, sometimes to initiate change.

Many of the photos at DPC are as empty of meaning as sugar is empty of nutrition. Sometimes we need a little protein in our diets. And it's refreshing to see a photo that makes us think. In the same way there's nothing wrong with an occasional lollipop, there's nothing wrong with the occasional cute puppy, the tiger's head, the waterdrop, the illuminated glassware, the motion-blurred seashore at sunset and so on. But there's also nothing wrong with the occasional photo that makes us think, react, feel.

Thanks for taking the risk.

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by ELLIPS:
The strange thing is that the yellow ribbon of the FS-challenge (the superb ) is actually showing a suffering animal.

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by thomasjessen:
Okay - here the explanation comes...

This picture is part of a series of pictures, which is about animals that have been killed on the road. It is brutal, extreme and tough, but it is the real world. To some people it is too much and that is okay with me (comment from digifotojo). But the essential is not me as a photographer whether I kill for fun or not (WHICH I DON'T DO!!!!) but that thousands of animals every day are killed on the road! That is what I try to tell with this picture.

About the technical outcome I am surprised that this picture is my lowest rated picture ever. To me it is one of my best since it has a story, it portraits real life and composition, sharpness and colors are pretty good.

The picture is NOT manipulated and I newer touch the eye, since it would take something away from the story.
Process:
- Ram import
- Crop
- Blacks
- Sharpness
- Saturation
- JPEG export

I posted it on another forum where it got 85 comments in 7 days! It started a huge debate about life, what you should photograph and what we can post on the internet. Link (it's in Danish): //fotostart.dk/index.php?p=604&u=8896&pl=38738

Best regards

Thomas Jessen

Message edited by author 2009-01-09 01:35:27.

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by digifotojo:
Jamie, my sentiments exactly...I couldn't have put it better. It always amazes me how people can be so insensitive as to portray something like this as an art form. I suppose that's part of what makes some people hunt/kill for pleasure.

Thanks for putting it into perspective. Jo ((hugs))

Run over - human vs. animal!
by thomasjessen

Comment by molinski4611:
To anyone who though the animal "suffered," I seriously doubt it.
Looks more like it exploded.
Probably didn't feel a thing.