critique-ing - DPChallenge Forums

05/12/2006 12:01:04 AM · #1

I know that this is a BIG debate all over DPC, but what's one more?

For those of you who have the time, please make a mental note of my username... after voting, and especially if you score my entry low, I would appreciate your in depth reasoning for scoring my entry the way that you did. I really am here to learn and most importantly, I am NOT a sensitive person and I will not get butthurt about your opinion AS LONG AS you are very precise in what you write and you make sure to pin point and clarify why you think what you do about my entry -- For example, including a description of what you would have done to make the photo better.

I'm a firm believer in using critism to my advantage and I respect that some people are inevitably going to think my entry, well for lack of a better word, sucks! lol....

I also wanted to note that I understand that there is an option to have your photo critiqued, but I get the feeling that they have a lot on their plate and really, I am mostly interested in the people who did not like my photo... from reading numerous critique club critiques on photos, it also seems that there is a hesitation to hurt someone's feelings and I want the ugly truth. (I also feel somewhat guilty cuz I can't afford membership and that seems like the critique should be reserved for members)

Though you cannot possibly please everyone, it certainly can help to understand why you did not please the ones you didn't.

Feel free to kill this thread or add your name to this list.

Thanx to anyone who does respond.... Amanda

TooCool

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

05/12/2006 12:15:49 AM · #2

You asked for it!

05/12/2006 12:17:25 AM · #3

bump... oh come on, this thread didn't even get a fighting chance before dying so quick... lol.. just wanted to put the disclaimer a little bigger too that:

I AM NOT COMPLAINING... there... I am very happy with my score, just looking to improve

05/12/2006 12:24:23 AM · #4

Originally posted by TooCool:

You asked for it!

It? What's it? or should I say where's it? or is anticipation the worst part of it? hahahahaa... :)

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

05/12/2006 12:44:13 AM · #5

alright, I guess that means this thread is officially killed. was worth a try though.

yanko

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/12/2006 12:45:21 AM · #6

I loved your DNMC photo in cliche. Too bad others got offended or didn't know what the heck you were talking about. I scored it an 8 but frankly I'm at a loss as to why I deducted anything from it.

As for your other challenge pic, you probably suffered the same thing I did with my Something Old entry (i.e. not old enough) but also perhaps your crop played a part as well. I think with voters if you serve up a smaller than usual pic subconsciously they'll think it's amateurish and vote accordingly. So I would ALWAYS try and serve up the largest pic I could even if I'm including a lot of needless negative space. It just gives a better impression. Anyway, I think both of your entries were good and you definitely look like someone to look out for in the future.

Edited for spelling.

Message edited by author 2006-05-12 00:47:13.

Carl Zeiss 50mm ZE f/1.4 Planar T for Canon

05/12/2006 12:47:42 AM · #7

Originally posted by yanko:

I loved your DNMC photo in cliche. Too bad others got offended or didn't know what the heck you were talking about. I scored it an 8 but frankly I'm at a loss as to why I deducted anything from it.

As for your other challenge pic, you probably suffered the same thing I did with my Something Old entry (i.e. not old enough) but also perhaps your crop played a part as well. I think with voters if you serve up a smaller than usual pic subconsciously they'll think it's amateurish and vote accordingly. So I would ALWAYS try and serve up the large pic I can even if I'm including alot of needless negative space. It just gives a better impression. Anyway, I think both of your entries were good and you definitely look like someone to look out for in the future.

Edited for spelling.

You mean more white/negative space around the object?

edit: reread your post and I think I confirmed that... so, hmm. why do you think that more space gives a better impression?

Message edited by author 2006-05-12 00:49:06.

yanko

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

05/12/2006 12:48:41 AM · #8

Originally posted by amandalore:

Originally posted by yanko:
I loved your DNMC photo in cliche. Too bad others got offended or didn't know what the heck you were talking about. I scored it an 8 but frankly I'm at a loss as to why I deducted anything from it.

As for your other challenge pic, you probably suffered the same thing I did with my Something Old entry (i.e. not old enough) but also perhaps your crop played a part as well. I think with voters if you serve up a smaller than usual pic subconsciously they'll think it's amateurish and vote accordingly. So I would ALWAYS try and serve up the large pic I can even if I'm including alot of needless negative space. It just gives a better impression. Anyway, I think both of your entries were good and you definitely look like someone to look out for in the future.

Edited for spelling.

You mean more white/negative space around the object?

Yes but NOT added in post. Do it in-camera with the way you compose the shot.

Message edited by author 2006-05-12 00:49:14.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

05/12/2006 12:50:41 AM · #9

actually, I see what you mean... I will have to work on that now that I have an actual backdrop and lighting (thank you credit cards) those two pics, I was working with a small piece of posterboard.

puzzled

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

05/12/2006 12:54:56 AM · #10

I think that when you have more than two pictures on your profile page, you will get a better response to your request. I hope you win the membership donation that Bear_music is going for because then you'll be able to add to your portfolio. You've got a good attitude, Amanda and both of your pictures are nice. Also, I see that you haven't been here too long; you might be encouraged to know that 54 comments on two images is something many of us envy, so you are doing well with that. Even if they're not all super helpful comments, you've gotten attention to your images and that alone will help get more comments in the future.

05/12/2006 12:56:03 AM · #11

but yeah, just wanted to add thank you yanko, that is exactly the kind of input I'm looking for, I don't think I would have thought of that before, but makes sense now. I also wish that I could have gotten a white background for my DNMC, but the lighting wasn't so great and without blowing out the bowl and the milk, I had to settle for a gray background. My watercolors entry, I used the dodge tool excessively on the background, thank you advanced editing rules.

05/12/2006 01:02:49 AM · #12

Originally posted by puzzled:

Thanx, and I guess I am a pretty attention-dependent person lol!... but I figure if I'm gonna do something, I want to get the most for it. As for the bear_music donation, I think I shot that one down (oops) - but I do feel that there are a lot more deserving individuals on this site and I don't want to feel guilty like that, so I'm just going to make a nuisance of myself instead, finals are next week (and then summer school) so I will have more free time soon. I plan to go head-on into photography with my bf who's been doing it for like 12 years... I'm an artist at heart and photography seems like a great indulgence. As soon as he finally taught me the basics of photography (i guess i could have read a book or my manual) I've been hooked!

05/12/2006 05:08:05 AM · #13

is there any way with basic editing that i could have made the letters in the spoon stand out more? as far as aperture, 4.8 seemed to work best, i originally thought a lower one would do the trick, but it was just dizzying to look at, and I tried putting more light on spoon which is why milk is a little blown out... maybe there was more i could have done with camera?

cresus

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

05/12/2006 09:30:16 AM · #14

Here's my quick attempt at making the letters stand out more. This was done using local contrast enhancement (USM 25/60/0). Regrettably, it worsens the highlights of the milk but it also makes the letters punch more.

05/12/2006 06:55:54 PM · #15

Originally posted by cresus:

That's what I wanted! now, I understand USM, but what exactly is local contrast enhancement? Does that mean that you selectively sharpened the spoon? also wanted to ask - is that against basic editing rules or is that ok?

Thank you cresus for taking the time to help me out!! amanda

cresus

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

05/12/2006 07:34:43 PM · #16

Local Contrast Enhancement is my holy grail of photo editing lately:

//www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/contrast-enhancement.shtml

It uses the unsharp mask in a different way than sharpening. Have fun!