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12/14/2010 08:37:41 AM · #1 |
This year Eric Seals from The Detroit Free Press was a judge for College Photographer of the Year (CPOY Judges). On SportsShooter.com he wrote an an interesting piece about the experience.
I found this part to be very DPC-voting-relevant:
"I mean can you honestly evaluate the power or lack of power in a picture in less than 2 seconds?
The answer is a resounding YES!! If you can’t understand the point of the picture, be moved and curious about it (be it sports action, features, news or illustration) you’ve lost us as judges and to put it in real time you’ve lost the readers and viewers of your newspapers and websites, they’re more finicky than most judges in any contest they’ll move on. Make the picture count, make it matter!!" - Eric Seals, The Detroit Free Press
The whole article is worth a read.
Photo Phood Phor Thought. |
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12/14/2010 09:11:42 AM · #2 |
Good article. I found the winning sports images of interest. I felt many of them would do mediocre on DPC because of a lack of the visual "wow-factor" that is needed here for broad appeal. What they did have was the capture of a human moment, and that is why they won. People photography in the real world (meaning non-studio shots) is drawing my own interest more and more.
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12/14/2010 09:14:35 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by alfresco:
This year Eric Seals from The Detroit Free Press was a judge for College Photographer of the Year (CPOY Judges). On SportsShooter.com he wrote an an interesting piece about the experience.
I found this part to be very DPC-voting-relevant:
"I mean can you honestly evaluate the power or lack of power in a picture in less than 2 seconds?
The answer is a resounding YES!! If you can’t understand the point of the picture, be moved and curious about it (be it sports action, features, news or illustration) you’ve lost us as judges and to put it in real time you’ve lost the readers and viewers of your newspapers and websites, they’re more finicky than most judges in any contest they’ll move on. Make the picture count, make it matter!!" - Eric Seals, The Detroit Free Press
The whole article is worth a read.
Photo Phood Phor Thought. |
I think that the majority of voters on this site use this method in voting (hit the 5 button and move on). It works well for news photography but I'm not sure how much our Posthumous crowd will agree with it.
Tim |
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12/14/2010 09:43:57 AM · #4 |
I would agree with his point in one respect. If you are talking about news images, advertising, and other grab your attention media, then it is true.
However beyond the grab you attention power, is a whole other world.
Does anyone look at the Mona Lisa for 5 seconds? Does anyone look at Starry Night for 5 seconds?
Photo-journalism is 5 seconds and move on. Quick, punchy, short message. I've seen very powerful images that I would not care to have hanging on my wall, because the message is quick and shallow. Once seen, it is over and no need for repetition. There are others, much fewer in number I might add, that I can look at day after day. Each time noticing something new or different, almost as if the image is alive. That I tend to call art.
To score really well here, it helps to be punchy, and quick. I don't say this as a negative. It is what it is, and if scoring well is most important to you, then it is what you must do. I also appreciate the work of those who routinely put up images that are satisfying to them. I may not see it as they do, but I enjoy seeing their viewpoint.
Neither is wrong, one is not better than the other. They are just different outlooks from different angles.
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12/14/2010 10:58:21 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by ambaker:
Does anyone look at the Mona Lisa for 5 seconds? Does anyone look at Starry Night for 5 seconds?
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Of course no-one looks at them for 5 seconds and then walks away, rather, I think the point being made here is more that the first 5 seconds of viewing of either of those works would inspire one to look deeper and longer..
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12/14/2010 11:09:01 AM · #6 |
And, wow, Adam Lau - this guy took three spots, gold - silver and HM in the sports section...
Damn, talk about ribbon hogs ;)
//www.adamlauphoto.com/#a=0&at=0&mi=1&pt=0&pi=1&s=0&p=-1 |
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12/14/2010 01:04:47 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by atupdate:
I think that the majority of voters on this site use this method in voting (hit the 5 button and move on). It works well for news photography but I'm not sure how much our Posthumous crowd will agree with it.
Tim |
I vote as quickly as anybody, and only give more thought to pictures that grab me in the first place. I believe in giving a lot of weight to your first reaction. It amazes me that people are still "grabbed" by slick, boring photos of flowers, water drops, etc. |
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12/14/2010 01:17:23 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by ambaker:
Does anyone look at the Mona Lisa for 5 seconds? Does anyone look at Starry Night for 5 seconds?
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You're missing the point. Both of those images will capture your attention WITHIN the first 5 seconds. They THEN beg of you to inspect them more closely.
Let's put it another way... you're flipping through radio stations in your car... you flip, listen a few seconds, move one, listen a few seconds, move on... hear a catchy beat... listen a bit longer to see what it is... you decide you're not in the mood, move on... hear another catchy beat... stop to listen... like the song, listen to the song, hope the DJ says who it is and what the title of the song is, go buy the CD or download it from iTunes, listen to it repeatedly. The point is that you were only giving each station about 5 seconds to sell itself initially... if you went past that initial five seconds, you start making a more detailed analysis.
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12/14/2010 01:35:09 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:
People photography in the real world (meaning non-studio shots) is drawing my own interest more and more. |
Welcome to the dark side. |
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12/14/2010 01:58:24 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by bvy:
Welcome to the dark side. |
Glad to be here. Expecting my average to plummet, but I hear the comments are worth it.
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12/15/2010 02:55:10 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by posthumous:
Originally posted by atupdate:
I think that the majority of voters on this site use this method in voting (hit the 5 button and move on). It works well for news photography but I'm not sure how much our Posthumous crowd will agree with it.
Tim |
I vote as quickly as anybody, and only give more thought to pictures that grab me in the first place. I believe in giving a lot of weight to your first reaction. It amazes me that people are still "grabbed" by slick, boring photos of flowers, water drops, etc. |
Humbug!
What makes you think that the voters are seasoned, experienced DPC voters? Anyone can vote on user challenges. So that must be why water drops keep doing well, no? Or maybe it's because they get top votes because they're well done. hmmm
Message edited by author 2010-12-16 13:52:41. |
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12/16/2010 12:17:24 PM · #12 |
I try to challenge myself to take a longer look at a photo than just a few seconds, but, I really try hard to 50/50 my vote on a shot. 50% initial, 50% really looking at it. I feel I am not doing my "job" as a voter, if I let the first seconds take the entire shot. . . However, they are critical, because with a visual medium I feel "gut reaction" is a big part of what is trying to be accomplished. . .
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12/16/2010 05:19:31 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Jac:
What makes you think that the voters are seasoned, experienced DPC voters? Anyone can vote on user challenges. So that must be why water drops keep doing well, no? Or maybe it's because they get top votes because they're well done. hmmm |
Like many here, you seem to have no concept of the voter developing, only of photographers developing (so to speak). |
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12/16/2010 05:37:33 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by posthumous:
Originally posted by Jac:
What makes you think that the voters are seasoned, experienced DPC voters? Anyone can vote on user challenges. So that must be why water drops keep doing well, no? Or maybe it's because they get top votes because they're well done. hmmm |
Like many here, you seem to have no concept of the voter developing, only of photographers developing (so to speak). |
Ahh.. :)
I do feel that I have developed as a voter, many images (particularly those of the "posthumous" sort) that I would have scored with a 1 or a 2 in the beginning, are now often scored with a 7 or 8..
I've definitely developed as a voter, and as a critic.. I can barely stand to walk past most professional displays, as I often want to subsequently walk in and say inappropriate things to the purveyors of such trash. |
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12/16/2010 05:52:46 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by posthumous:
Originally posted by Jac:
What makes you think that the voters are seasoned, experienced DPC voters? Anyone can vote on user challenges. So that must be why water drops keep doing well, no? Or maybe it's because they get top votes because they're well done. hmmm |
Like many here, you seem to have no concept of the voter developing, only of photographers developing (so to speak). |
That's kind of my point. (except for your condescending tone). There are those who are seasoned experienced voters who have a very good idea of what makes a great image and then you have those who are new and vote as we all did in our first few months here, with oohs and aahs along with 7s, 8s, 9s and 10s. I'm pretty sure the newer voters outnumber the older ones and that's why water drops keep chugging along with top ten results.
That's my 2¢ on it. |
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12/16/2010 10:45:31 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by coryboehne:
I do feel that I have developed as a voter, many images (particularly those of the "posthumous" sort) that I would have scored with a 1 or a 2 in the beginning, are now often scored with a 7 or 8.. |
I can assure you that my voting has improved dramatically since my arrival here, but there is still no way that I can state that my scores on the types of images you allude to have jumped in the manner yours have.
Yes I am most certainly more open minded, and yes there are images that do truly resonate, but most would barely score a 5 and only the odd exception would garner a score of 8.
Being different does not automatically equate with being good... and since we all have differing opinion as to what constitutes good, there truly is no wrong way to vote is there?
Ray
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12/17/2010 03:00:42 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by RayEthier:
... there truly is no wrong way to vote is there?
Ray |
We ask people to be consistent, whatever scoring system they use. |
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