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09/08/2009 03:39:41 AM · #1 |
Can't understand why this free study entry of mine scored so low. Whilst not a super fantastic eye catching shot by any means I do feel that it should have scored better then it did. I personally felt that it should have scored somewhere in the 5.5 range and am quite disappointed that it came so far back in the field as it did. Maybe some balanced explanations as to what this image's biggest drawbacks are would help me know what to look out for in future challenges. Any suggestions appreciated.
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09/08/2009 03:53:06 AM · #2 |
I left you a comment. If it is any consolation I entered a shot of a Grizzly bear in the beautiful scenic Alaska and came in 330/412. Personally I was disgusted to see it do so horrible...5.1154
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09/08/2009 04:02:03 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by ThingFish:
Can't understand why this free study entry of mine scored so low. Whilst not a super fantastic eye catching shot by any means I do feel that it should have scored better then it did. I personally felt that it should have scored somewhere in the 5.5 range and am quite disappointed that it came so far back in the field as it did. Maybe some balanced explanations as to what this image's biggest drawbacks are would help me know what to look out for in future challenges. Any suggestions appreciated.
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My likely-irrelevant opinion: Initial impact: eh. nothing grabs me. The boat is about the only thing that sticks out and it's not that interesting. Other possibly interesting items in the photo like the buildings, are either partially cropped or obscured by trees. The overall colors are a little flat. If I had one suggestion to make (besides choose a different entry) would be to go black & white with this photo and add some contrast, levels, curves, dodge & burn or whatever to add some visual impact.
Free studies are brutally competitive. If you want a good score, you really need to enter something better than you would in any of the weekly challenges.
Hope that's helpful. :) |
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09/08/2009 04:39:09 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by ThingFish:
Can't understand why this free study entry of mine scored so low. Whilst not a super fantastic eye catching shot by any means I do feel that it should have scored better then it did. I personally felt that it should have scored somewhere in the 5.5 range and am quite disappointed that it came so far back in the field as it did. Maybe some balanced explanations as to what this image's biggest drawbacks are would help me know what to look out for in future challenges. Any suggestions appreciated.
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Its nothing more than a snapshot - as Art says, there is nothing that `pops` out to me - its flat, dull and uninspiring.
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09/08/2009 04:48:06 AM · #5 |
| Its a nicely exposed shot to be sure. I think the fault, in the context of this competition, is the composition. There is too much water and the boat is too small to support the title. If it was me I would have cropped a third off the bottom, lost the two trees on the right etc. |
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09/08/2009 05:19:21 AM · #6 |
| I think it would have had a lot more impact as a HDR image. |
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09/08/2009 05:46:45 AM · #7 |
| Thanks guys. Most helpful. :) I appreciate all the feedback and will keep it in mind for my next challenge attempts. |
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09/08/2009 06:26:25 AM · #8 |
| left a comment, although now in actually reading everything here, it pretty much mirrors another comment. |
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09/08/2009 06:44:13 AM · #9 |
Mine too :p |
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09/08/2009 07:47:53 AM · #10 |
Really unhappy with mine too.
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09/08/2009 08:16:04 AM · #11 |
If you don't have an inspired and imaginative image, you WILL get slammed in a Free Study. The image, not to be rude or anything, is totally forgettable. It just doesn't reach out and grab you, so that's what happened.
I've been here three years, the lowest score on my profile page is a 6.7266, and I've only broken 6.0 in a Free Study four times.....and I've pretty much entered every one for the past two and a half years.
Free Studies SUCK!!! LOL!!!
But I keep trying!.....8>) |
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09/08/2009 08:22:10 AM · #12 |
I was a bit dissapointed with my score on this one. :(
I was hoping for at least a 6 but maybe I missed the boat completely here.
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09/08/2009 08:47:23 AM · #13 |
| I looked over the FS entries after rollover last night, and I was seeing stuff I liked and had given high votes to down to the low 5's. As previously said, freestudies are brutal on voting. You would think it would be easier, since you can enter your best shot from the whole month. However, this also means the bar is set higher and you have to totally wow some people just to get a vote of 6 from them. There are many members who rank the entries against the rest of the field, rather than on their own merit. That makes a high score in a freestudy tougher. I feel a 5 1/2 in a freestudy is a 6 in any other challenge. |
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09/08/2009 09:48:47 AM · #14 |
Left you a comment, I have exactly the same feeling with my entry. I know the subject is somewhat taboo on DPC (flowers and water drops), but I thought it would do better...
Definitely Free Studies are rated too harshly and the DPC crowd is really tough!!!
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09/08/2009 10:26:15 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by Rgarcia:
Left you a comment, I have exactly the same feeling with my entry. I know the subject is somewhat taboo on DPC (flowers and water drops), but I thought it would do better...
Definitely Free Studies are rated too harshly and the DPC crowd is really tough!!!
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94th Your'e in their with the best. Can't be 400 firsts ;-) |
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09/08/2009 05:52:01 PM · #16 |
| Thanks guys. Most helpful. :) I appreciate all the feedback and will keep it in mind for my next challenge attempts. |
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09/08/2009 06:15:44 PM · #17 |
| At least you didn't get the Brown, like me! I did get 7 comments...I agree with all...mine just stunk...very overexposed, not high key- but it was totally new to me (doing high key) and I will keep practicing! Maybe for the next free study (I will spare you from seeing the pic...it was the very overexposed panda with the white background...bleh) |
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09/08/2009 06:51:21 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by MrE:
At least you didn't get the Brown, like me! I did get 7 comments...I agree with all...mine just stunk...very overexposed, not high key- but it was totally new to me (doing high key) and I will keep practicing! Maybe for the next free study (I will spare you from seeing the pic...it was the very overexposed panda with the white background...bleh) |
I did something similar in another challenge and got spanked REALLY hard for it.....
Funny thing is both the young lady and her Dad like it.
I just now realized I got the Brown with this! LOL!!! |
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09/08/2009 07:16:34 PM · #19 |
My lowest score in a looooong time. I thought the image was very good... voters did not. Must be jaded since the model is my daughter. *sigh*
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09/08/2009 07:30:02 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by idnic:
My lowest score in a looooong time. I thought the image was very good... voters did not. Must be jaded since the model is my daughter. *sigh*
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This, quite frankly, just looks fake. Like those "put yourself in a tropical background" postcard booths. |
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09/08/2009 07:36:00 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by idnic:
My lowest score in a looooong time. I thought the image was very good... voters did not. Must be jaded since the model is my daughter. *sigh*
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What bugged me about this one was the mast growing out of the model's head. Less DOF would have improved that by blurring the background more making the mast less of an issue. |
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09/08/2009 07:37:20 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by ineedauniquename:
Its a nicely exposed shot to be sure. I think the fault, in the context of this competition, is the composition. There is too much water and the boat is too small to support the title. If it was me I would have cropped a third off the bottom, lost the two trees on the right etc. |
My how opinions differ. I'd have cropped the top just above the trees. |
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09/08/2009 07:41:12 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
Originally posted by MrE:
At least you didn't get the Brown, like me! I did get 7 comments...I agree with all...mine just stunk...very overexposed, not high key- but it was totally new to me (doing high key) and I will keep practicing! Maybe for the next free study (I will spare you from seeing the pic...it was the very overexposed panda with the white background...bleh) |
I did something similar in another challenge and got spanked REALLY hard for it.....
Funny thing is both the young lady and her Dad like it.
I just now realized I got the Brown with this! LOL!!! |
Well, I like it too....it's not "just another photo". And The father recognised a nice pic of his child and it shows her in an attractive pose. |
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09/08/2009 08:08:30 PM · #24 |
I thought mine would do much worse because there is no focal point & I did perform some PP upon it that is not strictly necessary. I am very happy to be above a 5. "D |
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09/08/2009 08:12:09 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by pixelpig:
I thought mine would do much worse because there is no focal point & I did perform some PP upon it that is not strictly necessary. I am very happy to be above a 5. "D |
You may feel that there is no focal point but the viewer is drawn to the pattern in the two leaves on the left. I think this image would benefit a lot from a square crop which only includes the two leaves on the left. This would eliminate the dark patch in the bottom right which is a bit of a distraction.
Message edited by author 2009-09-08 20:12:47. |
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