Non-DPC Friendly Photos - DPChallenge Forums

01/28/2009 02:07:29 PM · #1

This is my plea to all those out there that we begin to be friendly to Non-DPC friendly photos! Can we start to admire the photos for the technical quality, use of light, and editing even for topics that normally considered non-DPC friendly topics? We all know that kids, puppies, waterdrops and landscapes are always DPC friendly...but i'm talking about the subject matter that DPC just doesn't like to see. So what if you see a breasts...how about we not vote low simply because there is breast on the screen...it's probably there on purpose, that doesn't make it a bad photo. So what if you see a dead animal, it's dead....can't take it back...don't vote the photo low because you feel sorry that the animal is dead. Look at the photographers work! It's time to be friendly to all technically sound photos....not just the ones with topics you like seeing!

On the same token...how about we look at the technical aspects of the DPC friendly photos. Can we not vote a 6 or 7 for every puppy photos. Yes puppies are cute. We are voting on how cute the puppy is. We are voting on how good the photograph is. A blurry dog, should get the same score as a blurry breast, as a blurry booger, as a blurry landscape.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

01/28/2009 02:08:19 PM · #2

Sorry for having this in the wrong category. I started writing the thread about something else and changed my mind, but never went back and changed the location.

smardaz

01/28/2009 02:09:06 PM · #3

i feel ya man, but asking people to change their knee-jerk reactions is a difficult thing

klkitchens

Pentax K-1

Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 AF

01/28/2009 02:12:42 PM · #4

Originally posted by smardaz:

i feel ya man, but asking people to change their knee-jerk reactions is a difficult thing

Sometimes it's not a knee-jerk reaction though.

The WHOLE photo should be considered, including its applicability to the theme. Since DPC fails to include a filter on nudity during voting, those that subject us to such deserve what they get.

freakin_hilarious

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

01/28/2009 02:16:55 PM · #5

I completely disagree. What you take a photo of is much more important to me than how you take it. Hell, I don't agree with it, but I think even those users that always vote 1 on nudes have the right to do so.

Edit: Ah, I see one of them has chimed in already as well. :)

Message edited by author 2009-01-28 14:18:20.

jeger

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/28/2009 02:17:38 PM · #6

Originally posted by HawkeyeLonewolf:

The WHOLE photo should be considered, including its applicability to the theme. Since DPC fails to include a filter on nudity during voting, those that subject us to such deserve what they get.

Your statement is completely contradictory. You are asking people to consider the whole photograph and how it relates to the topic, but then go on to be prejudice about nudity.

ryand

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

01/28/2009 02:18:27 PM · #7

nvm, already said by someone else.

Message edited by author 2009-01-28 14:19:23.

klkitchens

Pentax K-1

Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 AF

01/28/2009 02:20:45 PM · #8

Originally posted by jeger:

Originally posted by HawkeyeLonewolf:
The WHOLE photo should be considered, including its applicability to the theme. Since DPC fails to include a filter on nudity during voting, those that subject us to such deserve what they get.

Your statement is completely contradictory. You are asking people to consider the whole photograph and how it relates to the topic, but then go on to be prejudice about nudity.

Nah, I consider the WHOLE photo, meaning the subject matter as well as the style and technicals. Then apply a -10 penalty for nudity. :)

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

01/28/2009 02:24:33 PM · #9

Originally posted by jeger:

People are going to have prejudices in art -- it's simply part of having an opinion ... I want to hear someone's honest reaction -- not some school "report" or analysis. Not that I (often) put forth images I suspect will generate negative reactions, if that's what someone has, I want to know about it; what could be mor important than knowing that (and why) someone hated your picture?

Message edited by author 2009-01-28 14:25:09.

klkitchens

Pentax K-1

Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 AF

01/28/2009 02:27:17 PM · #10

Originally posted by GeneralE:

Originally posted by jeger:

Originally posted by HawkeyeLonewolf:
The WHOLE photo should be considered, including its applicability to the theme. Since DPC fails to include a filter on nudity during voting, those that subject us to such deserve what they get.

Your statement is completely contradictory. You are asking people to consider the whole photograph and how it relates to the topic, but then go on to be prejudice about nudity.

People are going to have prejudices in art -- it's simply part of having an opinion ... I want to hear someone's honest reaction -- not some school "report" or analysis. Not that I (often) put forth images I suspect will generate negative reactions, if that's what someone has, I want to know about it; what could be mor important than knowing that (and why) someone hated your picture?

And some people are prejudiced against woodies too... the kind we can show here of course. :)

houstonian

Sony DSLR-A200

Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha

01/28/2009 02:34:14 PM · #11

Obviously nudes are not completely DPC-UNfriendly. They have fared well in challenges recently. I think those who are open-minded (a.k.a not automatically giving a nude a 1) tend to vote up to make up for those who vote down nudes.

Message edited by author 2009-01-28 14:40:19.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

01/28/2009 02:43:05 PM · #12

This isn't all about nudes. I put the nudes there simply because it's one of the more common DPC unfriendly images...but this is as a whole. I think people should take the time to really review a photo....even if it is a nude or woody or ducky....can you take a photo that has nudity in it and be artistic...hell yeah. can you take a photo of a ducky and be artistic yes!!! (I purposely switched from talking about the woodies simply to keep you perverts out there from connecting nudie to woody!!)

It's a shame that photo showing any type of nude or ducky or something disgusting or a dead animal will never win a free study or portrait or any challenge that doesn't specifically call out nude, ducky, dead, or disgusting simply because it has one of those elements. Calvin klein and many other fashion advertisements have shown that showing some form of nude can still produce some amazing photos. National Geographic has shown that dead animals can have some very powerful images....people have shown that rubber ducks can be hilarious....so why discriminate so much simply because of the subject.

here is where i kinda contradict myself...but read it fully before you miss where I'm going....

I can't say don't completely take the subject out of the voting scheme. but you may have to look at the context. Look at why it was added first.

What i'm trying to avoid is simply what has already been mentioned here....NUDE - 1 Dead -1 Dog - 8 without looking at the context. What does the nude add to the photo? What fashion statement does it make? Does the nude being there really hurt the photo? Could you see this photo in a magazine? Does the dead rat make a statement? Could you see this influencing other people?

Everyone has their different genre's of photos that they are better at? Some people are better at architectural photos...so should they vote all non-architectural photos lower because it's not the type of photography that they are interested in shooting?

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

01/28/2009 02:59:47 PM · #13

Originally posted by albc28:

It's a shame that photo showing any type of nude or ducky or something disgusting or a dead animal will never win a free study or portrait or any challenge that doesn't specifically call out nude, ducky, dead, or disgusting simply because it has one of those elements.

Seems to me that being artistically cutting edge and having mass appeal are mutually contradictory states. Why should the majority of people consider a "simply disgusting" photo the best of the month?

Yo_Spiff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

01/28/2009 03:09:45 PM · #14

I think there already is a wide range of preference and taste. You can see it when you look at the breakdowns of the votes and when you hear people asking how a decent entry still get 2's and 3's, or that a lousy snapshot still always manages to get some 8's and 9's. The thing is, when you average all those tastes and opinions together, you will always get something that reflects an image's mass appeal.

dahkota

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM

01/28/2009 03:24:58 PM · #15

I think this article relates to this thread, and another being argued in Rant. At the very least, it is interesting food for thought...

sorry 'bout that.

Message edited by author 2009-01-28 15:26:34.

Adamsw216

Canon EOS R6 Mk II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II

01/28/2009 03:38:21 PM · #16

I personally will not vote on the subject itself. I believe that the subject is equally as important as the technique used and that they should exist in a balance. While I do agree with you that often it seems that people will vote higher on certain cliches (animals, sweeping landscapes, etc.), I think yospiff and GeneralE bring up good points. We have to keep in mind that this is not necessarily a website for intense art criticism and debate. Yes, I joined this site so that I could improve my abilities personally, but as anyone is able to join this site, it is obviously not restricted to any specific parameters regarding artistic taste or technical ability. I am not trying to say "what art is," I'm merely saying that pleading with the masses probably will not get results. If people have certain biases based on their own life experiences, you can't change them. We just have to roll with the punches.

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G

01/28/2009 04:15:03 PM · #17

Yeah i know you can't change people's biases, but I still think its important to point them out and draw awareness to them. I seem to get a lot of 1's, 2's, and 3's on my shots, even when they aren't technically terrible photos, but the voter just disagrees with the subject matter.

My best of 2008

got a lot of low scores because people apparently don't like hunting, same with this shot which I thought was at least kinda cool

but bombed...

I look at the shots that placed higher than mine and see they didn't get as many low scores, but not as many higher scores either. I'm not complaining about the votes I know what this site is about and it has done a lot for me, but that's why I like looking into the rest of the images after the top 20 in the challenge to see where some more interesting shots might have gotten buried by voter bias.

FireBird

01/28/2009 04:24:24 PM · #18

Originally posted by AP:

My best of 2008 got a lot of low scores because people apparently don't like hunting, same with this shot which I thought was at least kinda cool but bombed...

I only saw a few votes that may have been in protest.
A 5.82 in a "Best of" or "Free Study" is not a crappy
result. Sorry about your pop. But he apparently passed
doing what he loved. We should all be so lucky.

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

01/28/2009 05:13:50 PM · #19

Originally posted by HawkeyeLonewolf:

The WHOLE photo should be considered, including its applicability to the theme. Since DPC fails to include a filter on nudity during voting, those that subject us to such deserve what they get.

Your statements are in direct contradiction of each other.

And nobody subjects you to anything.

Your decision to be offended is yours alone.

How you can see nudity is offensive is your own issue.

Most of us see God's creation in His own image as a wondrous thing and many are Graced in their ability to capture it.

MistyMucky

Nikon D700

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

01/28/2009 05:21:04 PM · #20

I don't believe that it is possible to be totally unbiased when considering the subject of a picture. That's why the opposite of objective is called subjective, I dare say ;-)

But what really annoys me is people who give a 1 as a matter of principle, because they don't like a subject. They completely ignore all the other aspects of a picture. Example:

That's puritanism, nothing else.

Message edited by author 2009-01-28 17:22:20.

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

01/28/2009 05:35:35 PM · #21

Originally posted by dahkota:

I think this article relates to this thread, and another being argued in Rant. At the very least, it is interesting food for thought...

What a wonderful piece!