| Author | Thread |
|
|
03/26/2008 09:05:03 AM · #1 |
After submitting this issue I found out how harsh the voting is here and wanted some honest opinions of how people vote on this site. This photo, although soft in focus, IMO was one of my best submissions to date but it couldn't even hit 5. So, aside from the soft focus, what is the problem here?
Is the soft focus really costing me 5+ points?? |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 09:11:06 AM · #2 |
There is a difference in soft focus and out of focus and I think this falls into the latter category. Also the hose on the right of the picture is distracing. The bokeh is good but apart from that I dont find it a very interesting photo. Well you did ask :-)
|
|
|
|
03/26/2008 09:11:10 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by kleski:
... Is the soft focus really costing me 5+ points?? |
19 of 21 people that commented mentioned it being OOF, or not sharp. Avg vote for commenters is 5.0 on your image. Factor in all of the people who probably noticed it and didn't comment, and I'd say the answer to your question is - Yes.
I gave it a 5. Thought it met the challenge well and was composed fairly well (top could be cropped down a smidge). Had this been in focus I'd have given it at least a 7, maybe an 8. |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 09:22:45 AM · #4 |
The thumbnail looks good, but it only takes a glance at the entry to see that you not only didn't nail the focus, it's way off. Otherwise the composition and colors are appealing, so I gave it a 5 instead of lower.
Btw, I checked out your profile and see your profile photo is also OOF. It made me smile, considering this discussion! :-) |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 09:51:44 AM · #5 |
I did,t vote in this challenge because I was out of town, but the focus cost you for sure. The people around here lave their pictures sharp, and many here very good. Other than the focus, the composition is really good, The colors could be a tad more vibrant. With better focus this would have done really well.
|
|
|
|
03/26/2008 10:06:37 AM · #6 |
I looked back at my vote. It was a 6. I really liked this shot, it was obvious that you didn't pose it, as there is a bulldozer in the background. I could tell that he was actually on the job; and his job, at that moment was to hang back and observe. I did leave an original comment on this shot. I will expand that by saying the focus issue dropped you from an 8 to a 6. Also, I looked at how I voted on your other submissions. You are averaging a 7 from me, and the other shots in your portfolio are all focused.
Now, you can get a way with soft focus around here, it happens all the time. The trick is to make it obvious that is what you are doing. A slight softening is going to be distorted on the reduction and upload. And the thumbnails are your first impression. So if you want to convey the soft focus was the intent and not an accidental oof, you need to exagerate it. Go a little further, than your instinct tells you to go. You will find that spot, where the voters/viewers can tell the intent. Play with it a bit, but don't expect us all to clue in at the same time :)
Don't be discouraged!
Good luck & happy shooting. |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 10:13:53 AM · #7 |
I gave it a 5 and mentioned the focus.
To me, it was out of focus not just soft. Soft focus, if done correctly actually scores very well here. However, even if this shot was "soft" instead of out, I don't know that it would have "fit." Fireman are stereotypically "tough" guys, and the soft focus would have felt wrong, I think.
Also, I notice in your settings, you were at f/22, with an ISO of 200 and shutter speed of 1/250. Perhaps a faster shutter speed, and lower f-stop number would have helped?
|
|
|
|
03/26/2008 10:36:01 AM · #8 |
I commented about the focus issue and the voted this a 4. I felt that the soft focus was more motion blur than intentional. I will also agree with  Karmat, that Fireman are usually preceived gritty, hard nosed and tough. A soft focus just doesn't seem to fit the subject very well. That all being said, if you like it, that's all that matters in the end. Trevor~ |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 10:46:40 AM · #9 |
I voted a 4 on this picture, let me try and explain why.
First of all, I NEVER vote 5s. I think a 5 is the easy way out, and forcing myself not to vote 5s forces me to think about pictures before voting. Your pic being oof was the main reason for my vote. Focus is one of the main aspects of a technically sound photograph, and -apart from artistic blurs or extreme conditions- it greatly determines the first impression a picture gives. Besides, it should be fairly easy to get it right for anyone knowing what they are doing and taking the time for their picture. I don't mean to sound rude, but that's how I see it.
Having said that, I might still give a higher vote for a picture that is oof, if it has this little extra. Your pic has nice colors and nice contrast, but its composition is also rather static. If you had an action shot of the same guy, with a dynamic composition and the same amount of blur, I'dd probably rate it 6 or 7.
|
|
|
|
03/26/2008 10:52:38 AM · #10 |
I gave this a 4 as well... The focs is what did it for me as well it was off, and I couldn't see and sort of artistic reason for it which lead me to believe it was a mistake. Like others have said, the phot itself was not bad, but in a place like DPC where the compitition is tight and quality of photo so genereally high a small thing like that will end up killing you.
It's like in high performance sports where .001 of a second is the diference between wining and loosing. Small mistakes here have the same result (my challenege entries are living proof of that) |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 06:14:54 PM · #11 |
| I voted 8 - one of the better pictures in the challenge. |
|
|
|
03/26/2008 10:29:44 PM · #12 |
I'm one of the people that has no problems with the focusing of your photo. Of course, it would have been better if it were sharp, but it's not so much of a problem for me.
However - and this is where the definition of "harsh" comes in - I would have given that either a 3 or a 4 if I had voted on the challenge. It fits the theme, but it's too much like a snapshot for my taste rather than a professional or creative photo.
I also think that it's too much of a close-up for an environmental portrait. It would have been better for me if you pulled out quite a bit to show more of the environment. |
|
|
|
03/27/2008 05:32:04 PM · #13 |
Hi Kevin,
I commented on yours during the challenge, I had the same reaction as everyone else, although I thought it was still a 6 with the blur issues. I don't think the focus cost you 5+pts, probably 1.5 pts though. It was interesting and colorful enough and spot on challenge wise that it probably would have landed around 6.5-6.8 had it been tack sharp.
You would have also gotten a collateral benefit from the fact that 1) he's a handsome guy and 2) it was the only fireman in the challenge. Fair or not, how original your entry is counts for something with the DPC crowd.
Here's my original comment: So close!!! This is the only firemen so far in this challenge, and you got a handsome one to boot! But you missed the focus by a hair, still, a great portrait.
hang in there! |
|
|
|
03/27/2008 07:30:59 PM · #14 |
I gave it a 4 because it was out OOF. I think you had a good opportunity here and missed it. I also feel you have an opportunity to correct some of the OOF problem in processing and missed it as well. Don't get me wrong, one should never rely on PP to fix problems, we should try to get it right when we push the shutter. But we all know this happens to everyone of us. No matter what level of photographer you are, mistakes are going to be made.
With that said I was wondering if you attempted to sharpen the photograph in PP to try to get it sharper. I hope you don't mind but I did a sharpening technique that I have used in the past (basic editing legal) and it seems to have helped on the OOF. Some may say it's over sharpened and that maybe the case but to me it looks better with a little over shapening than OOF.
[thumb]662662[/thumb] |
|
|
|
03/27/2008 09:00:46 PM · #15 |
| Amazing difference there Scott. |
|
|
|
03/27/2008 09:55:05 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Amazing difference there Scott. |
Thanks |
|
|
|
03/29/2008 10:26:18 PM · #17 |
First off, thanks to everyone who gave a honest reply to this thread. I am constantly trying to improve my photography and this certainly helps. I have no problem with constructive critisism even if it hurts.
Seond......Scott, I want a detailed description of that sharpening technique! It helped that photo and there are times when there are portions of a shot I'd love to sharpen up.
Last..... I have shot several of my submissions without my glasses on and as you can tell I need them. My profile photo was not a self portrait but was taken at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq while on deployment.
Once again, thanks for all the replies!! |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 10/13/2025 06:46:43 PM EDT.
