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08/04/2005 12:38:59 AM · #1 |
I've noticed that at the end of EVERY challenge, a thread starts up bemoaning the fact that the ignorant DPC masses didn't get the genius of a particular photo, that the ones that win always fall into a certain category, that DPC'ers are not capable of looking outside the box, etc., etc., ad nauseum.
I was browsing thru an eBook I downloaded tonight. In Book III, Chapter 1 - Tools and Techniques of Composition of (get this) Digital Photography for DUMMIES, the VERY FIRST PARAGRAPH states the following:
"The very best photos are usually not accidents; they are carefully planned and composed. {...} It's important to know what you want your picture to say and who your audience is."
That last part - who your audience is - grabbed my attention. Even the DUMMIES series notes that knowing your audience is critical to a successful composition.
There are undoubtedly other venues where ribbon-winning DPC photos will do poorly. I can think of one right now. Why? The audience is different (in this example, they are all graphics designers). By their very nature, they will look at your picture with a different shade of "rose colored glasses" than we do.
In my humble opinion, those constant ribbon winners on DPC (heida, nico_blue, etc.) are doubly good photographers. Why? They have capitalized upon not just one, but TWO critical skills: (1) How to take a good photo, and; (2) How to take a good photo their audience will like.
Just food for thought.
P.S. I'm not trying to piss off or alienate those very people I mentioned in the first paragraph of this (now very very wordy) thread. Rather, I'm trying to get them to realize that they DO have an audience to cater to and their scores will raise when they start to capitalize upon that realization. Will it change when they move on from DPC (gasp!) to another venue? NOPE. They'll simply have a new type of audience they have to figure out how to impress.
Message edited by author 2005-08-04 00:42:24. |
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08/04/2005 12:42:21 AM · #2 |
Nice post David. But I think people should read Digital Photography for Blatent Cheaters LOL
Seriously, your point is right on IMO.
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08/04/2005 12:44:18 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by kpriest:
Nice post David. But I think people should read Digital Photography for Blatent Cheaters LOL
Seriously, your point is right on IMO. |
Blatant cheaters? Leave my stuffed Indian alone!! OK, so I actually clipped a frame from an old west movie - we all know I didn't REALLY take that picture....
Hehe... the morning readers are going to have NO idea what we are going on about ;-)
Message edited by author 2005-08-04 00:46:33. |
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08/04/2005 12:47:39 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by aboutimage:
Hehe... the morning readers are going to have NO idea what we are going on about ;-) |
Now they will ... Digital Photography for Blatent Cheaters |
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08/04/2005 12:56:24 AM · #5 |
| Isn't that what marketing, advertising, arbitron ratings are all about? Learning about the habits and likes/dislikes of a target audience. It's about getting the edge on selling. Here we are selling images. |
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08/04/2005 01:02:18 AM · #6 |
| And yet the question remains - if your natural talent is not mainstream, do you take photos designed to please; or do you leave your own "flavor" in them and take the potentially lower scores? |
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08/04/2005 01:07:30 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by conglett:
And yet the question remains - if your natural talent is not mainstream, do you take photos designed to please; or do you leave your own "flavor" in them and take the potentially lower scores? |
That depends on how you want to score. However, I'm not so certain that DPC is as mainstream as everyone likes to say. I've seen some pretty damn out of the box photos here that do really well. What is mainstream? What isn't?
But in any case, put your photo up to challenge. If you know beforehand that it's probably not going to do well, then fine! It will surely please a few.
What gets me are the people who put their photos up, KNOWING that the voters aren't going to like them, then have the audacity to blame the voters when they get exactly the score they thought they would.
My thought? If you have photos like that (that aren't going to do well in the challenges), post them in your portfolio. That's what it's for.
Message edited by author 2005-08-04 01:33:11. |
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08/04/2005 01:48:21 AM · #8 |
Where did you get the eBook! I would be interested to read it!
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08/04/2005 01:52:48 AM · #9 |
wholeheartedly agree
like i said in one of the complaint threads, if you pride yourself on thinking outside the box, you cannot expect people to "get it" (and thus they will score accordingly) because if everyone "got it" it would hardly be an out of the box thought now, would it? |
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08/04/2005 01:55:34 AM · #10 |
I just enjoy learning from all you good folks and the main thing, I'm having FUN!
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