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10/12/2005 05:49:39 PM · #1 |
| Ok, so my first ever photo in a challenge was just something I found by chance and took the shot. It scored a 5.2 something at the end which made me more than happy for my first time. Then I got ambitions, spent $65 and four hours time trying to capture a really cool effect on the next challenge and now with around 100 people voting it's clear people think it stinks. I'm getting a solid 4 something and the comments I recevied are all negative. I thought it was a much more interesting shot but apparently not so. I noticed that winning photos seem to be 50-50 between something I think the photographer staged and set up to create an effect and something that the photographer just happened to take a great photo at the right place and time. Don't know that I'm done trying to set something up or not. It does seem there is a slight edge in favor of manufactured photo's but I don't think I'm going to blow $65 and 4 hours on a shot again. It has been totally depressing. I feel I wasted good money and time. |
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10/12/2005 05:52:42 PM · #2 |
before you get so down on yourself, read this guy's profile, and look through his set up notes. it goes to show you can do whatever you set out to do, if you make the commitment...
by his own admission, he didn't know what he was doing when he started, he just wanted to do it.
you might also want to read this thread--it has some pretty good tips, as well.
Message edited by author 2005-10-12 17:54:25. |
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10/12/2005 05:56:31 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by lkn4truth:
I don't think I'm going to blow $65 and 4 hours on a shot again. It has been totally depressing. I feel I wasted good money and time. |
Sorry to hear you're feeling depressed about the whole experience.
BUT...(you knew there was going to be a but, didn't you?)
The time spent learning is rarely wasted.
Will you "blow" $65 on your hobby again? Of course you will!
(If you don't believe that, put the camera back in the box and back slowly away.)
Will you "blow" $65 on another challenge entry? Probably not. (The most I'm in for is the cost of a couple rubber duckies, some grapes and a few other things I couldn't pass up while shopping for that challenge....Oh yeah, and about $1,000 to meet up with DPC'rs in DC this summer...)
If you do spend $65 or more on another challenge, you should definitely title your shot: "I spent $65 and all I got was this lousy photo"
=o
;-)
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10/12/2005 05:56:55 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by lkn4truth:
It does seem there is a slight edge in favor of manufactured photo's but I don't think I'm going to blow $65 and 4 hours on a shot again. It has been totally depressing. I feel I wasted good money and time. |
Studio shots are the cat's pajamas here, true...but they must be really good studio shots. They have to possess that elusive "wow" factor that when it comes down to it, money just can't buy. It's there or it's not.
Do you like the shot you took? Are you personally satisfied with it? That's what matters...you don't need a ribbon to validate you. I'm learning that myself, and am finally in a "happy place" that is allowing me to take pics that I like, for me. If others like them, it's cake. I posted today about feeling like I'm burned out on the challenges because they just aren't "me" now...and that's ok. You'll find your groove. It takes more time. If you're willing to wait it out, keep shooting, and making yourself happy, that is. :)
Welcome to DPC and I hope that you don't let this cause you to give up.
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10/12/2005 05:59:17 PM · #5 |
| Drop your ego and stop shooting for numbers. Shoot what YOU like. as long as your pleased and the image is what you intended, dont worry about others. |
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10/12/2005 05:59:53 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by lkn4truth:
I'm getting a solid 4 something and the comments I recevied are all negative. I thought it was a much more interesting shot but apparently not so. |
If you thought it was an interesting photo, what else matters? - The opinions of some anonymous people on a website? ;-) |
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10/12/2005 06:06:09 PM · #7 |
| Thanks for all the comments, suggestions and encouragement to date. I really enjoy this website because every week I've got in the back of my mind two or three challenges and I can keep my eye open for something that might fit. I'm going to try and spend less time trying to figure out how I can minipulate something to "ribbon" and a little more time enjoying the hunt...looking for something that could qualify and be interesting. If it turns out I got lucky and ribbon, great. But as someone said, maybe this is an ego thing I need to drop. Some winning photo's I thought, "I can do that" and that's just pride. Other photos are so amazing I figure I'll never be there. Bottom line, I'm just getting started and I'm going to have fun being challanged to find SOMETHING to submit every week, even if it doesn't stand a chance in hell of getting a ribbon. |
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10/12/2005 06:15:40 PM · #8 |
I know how you feel, i have felt like that many a times with challenges i have put my heart and soul into, and then someone comes along, gives me a smartmouthed comment and scores me low, JUST because their photo isnt going well.
And the reality is, no matter how much we think we wasted our time, we didn't, we actually do learn more from the photos we don't score high with... the only thing you pick up from top sccoring photos is a ribbon, ( and feeling GREAT for the day ) i have found in the short time i have been here, that i have learnt more by my low scoring challenges than anything else... yer at first im a little angry, but then you realise.. O.K... how can i improve this to get a better score, go through the top ten photos in that challenge, and compare them with your photo.....
Im also a believer in staging shots that you really want... geez if you waited for the 'right' time all the time, you'd never get anything....and i totally agree with iamkmaniam, shoot what you like, you will find eventually that by doing this, over time you'll feel more confident with what your shooting, and that will show through the quality of your shots and others will see this too.....
the main thing is , Take everything said to you with a grain of salt, but also take a little bit of critisim on board to see through others eyes...and how you could improve....
have fun with it... to be honest, your the one that really matters... not us here typing away on a computer, taking a 'peek' at a photo for a short time in a challenge...
Good Luck... and chin up...
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10/12/2005 06:49:27 PM · #9 |
I'm personally not a big fan of shooting staged shots. I'd much rather try to capture something "in the wild."
But DPC has led me to try both and learn from both, which I think makes me a better photographer over all. I often don't agree with the top 10 placings or ribbons. They often weren't what I would have chosen. But there's nothing wrong with the placings. It's what's deemed most interesting by the majority of people. I don't particularly like "pop" music but that doesn't mean I'm right and others are wrong. I feel happy for the winners, because a ribbon is nice validation that you communicated well with a group of people.
My point is that you might have a terrific, award winning shot that gets a low vote here but could win a photo contest somewhere else. DPC is more about stretching your skills (I think thats what weekly contests do) than about winning awards.
If you really want to ribbon I'd suggest studying the previous winners. There's some themes that will come out and you can try to use the information to better understand your audience. Make a list of "what ribbon shots have in common" and study that. Apply you're own style and see what happens. Someday I think I might try that myself.
But for now I'm just trying to learn the basics of my camera (since I just switched to SLR) and get more comfortable shooting. The contests just give me a reason to make sure I'm shooting every week and the comments/score are a fun way to get outside feedback. Pretty good deal I think. :)
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10/12/2005 07:13:10 PM · #10 |
Ask yourself these questions:
Did I learn from this?
Did I learn from this?
Did I learn from this?
And they will all have different answers. Did you learn not to spend $65 for a challenge again? Yeah, probably for a while until another great idea pops in your head.
Did you learn not to try to win a ribbon everytime out of the gate? Yeah, that's a hard one to learn in the beginning, even though it's only a cyber ribbon you STILL WANT IT!
Did you learn any techniques from this? I bet you did and getting more ideas even from the negative comments, I known I do.
Keep your head up, your wallet closed and work with what you have. IF you don't have it ask yourself, can you reuse the items afterwards? If not, think twice before spending the money again! :)
Deannda
Good Luck! |
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10/12/2005 07:19:34 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
before you get so down on yourself, read this guy's profile, and look through his set up notes. it goes to show you can do whatever you set out to do, if you make the commitment...
by his own admission, he didn't know what he was doing when he started, he just wanted to do it.
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Some of the best advice I have ever heard on this website and Scalvert is an insiration to meand many others. I am at 22 Challenges Entered.....About time to start improving. My scores may suck but I feel my skills have improved dramatically over this year because of this site and people like Scalvert.
Message edited by author 2005-10-12 19:20:57.
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10/12/2005 07:42:40 PM · #12 |
What I like to do is each week I will take anywhere from 50-150 photos at things I like. Sometimes the challenges may guide me one or two areas to shoot. If not I shoot just for the fun of it. I will look thru the photo's and see if any apply and if so I may consider entering. If not maybe next week. Now some of my best scoring photo's were set up. I am a spurr of the moment shooter. I see something, I shoot. the camera is with me all the time. If my scores are low because I do not set up the image, so be it. I am learning from this site on what is and is not a good image. My beginning scores were a lot lower than they are now and I am improving.
I believe learning post processing is the number one key, as well as knowing what is good and what is not.
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