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08/28/2004 07:11:10 PM · #1 |
I've heard many people break up the voting into various sections. Just an example for a mark out of ten there would be 3 for lighting 3 for composition and so forth...
I find that this method is looking at it from a more critical minor points fashion and not the general overall mood of the entire photo
What method do people generally use? And if you do break down the marking criteria, what are those criteria? |
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08/28/2004 07:27:36 PM · #2 |
The first thing I go on is compatibility with the challenge theme. I *DO* allow quite a bit of leeway for creative thinking or "outside-the-box" photos, but those photographs usually have to "talk" to me.. or, they have to express a feeling that the shot is meant to convey the theme in an unusual view.
Next I look at composition. I'm not particularily great with composition myself, but I certainly know what I like when I see it, and vote accordingly. If I like it, it'll get a higher mark, if I don't, it won't.
Next I look at most of the remaining technical details.. is it in focus? Is the lighting well represented? Is the saturation/coloring decent, or does it lend itself to the story of the photograph? That sort of thing. A miss on these points won't actually always drop the voting score, but if I see a photo I really like, and it's technically lacking in my view (I stress.. in my view.. I'm not expert), then I'll leave a comment explaining why I thought this could be a better photo and what I would do to help it.. but most of the time I'll give it the score I would have given it anyway. (Sometimes the vote will be lower if the technical aspects hurt the photo enough)
And.. that's basically it. I refuse to give out 10s, and I refuse to give out 1s. I don't believe *any* photograph is perfect, any more than I believe any photograph is 100% garbage.. I'll always comment on a 2 or 3.. I rarely if ever comment on a 4, 5, or 6 (unless there's something about the photograph that makes me want to), and I'll generally always comment on a 7, 8, and 9.
Anyway, that's just the way I do it. :)
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08/28/2004 07:53:19 PM · #3 |
Lifted from previous threads:
This is how I try (very hard) to vote:
1 > a technically (focus, exposure, balance, effects, lighting, sharpening, saturation, colour, cast, evidence of artifacts etc.) incompetent photo or an entirely unintelligible one (sometimes due to the size of an image), an 'offensive' one to civilized nature or (even) a technically apt photo which 'clearly' demonstrates a 'failure of feeling'
2 > a technically lacking photo with little or no perceptible artistic (choice of subject, composition, perspective, manner, emotional energy and range, etc.) merit or interest, even when generously considered; a somewhat 'offensive' photo or a gross and inappropriate sentimentalization of feeling in the context of the challenge; the pursuit of cliché without room for even a latent interpretation (irony, allegory, metaphor etc.)
3 > a photo of mixed or questionable merit, both artistically and technically; a technically 'acceptable' one without marked artistic or journalistic interest; a sentimental or highly 'commercialized' image designed to 'sell' a product or (worse!) person of reasonable or considerable technical merit; a potentially 'interesting' or 'promising' photo (subject matter/perspective) with 'severe' technical flaws and/or without 'clear' intent or direction
4 > a 'pretty' photo reminiscent of many; an otherwise captivating image with one or more clearly distracting elements, either within the capture itself or via border and/or title; a technically accomplished photo relying predominantly on an idea and/or title for impact; an artistically 'promising' capture with clearly noticeable technical defects; a technically 'stunning' capture bare of 'feeling' or aesthetic 'sense'
5 > a 'good' photo by most standards; one that communicates capably without teaching or exhilarating us; an artistically interesting photo pointing an unusual view, perspective or matter, even if it suffers from distinct technical 'flaws'; a technically 'stunning' capture with limiting human or artistic 'range'
6 > a remarkable image, well executed by most standards while allowing for some technical shortcomings not easily prevented or corrected; an ordinary or simple shot, perfectly timed or 'found' that tells an old story in a new way; a very personal take, a 'fresh' controversy with commotive qualities, but aesthetically 'exciting'; an image imitative within a 'classic' fashion, but well executed (i.e. landscape/portrait etc.)
7 > an outstanding photograph fit for both study and pleasure, while allowing for minor technical shortcomings, an accomplished imitation of a mode of seeing or rendering drawn or alluding to another medium including enduring snapshots or candids of remarkable human interest
8 > same as 7, but one that stimulates awareness and taxes the senses, technically accomplished, with near-imperceptible flaws, if not entirely flawless; clearly 'inventive' photographs pointing a little known interest, direction or delight
9 > same as 8, technically without a fault, but a photo which commotes 'perceived' reality to the point of restlessness and action
10 > an enduring photo that challenges the order of gods and the world, one holding its own alongside any other.
On (Challenge) Topicality
Limiting potentially immeasurable choices to a defined subject or a chosen category of photography, really, should stimulate creativity, not hamper it. Topics, IMO, are or should be there for the benefit of the photographer, not for the untaxed glee of some voters swinging a baseball bat.
I do not penalize entries for failing to meet the challenge. I may award a higher score to a unique interpretation or to a finesse I recognize, but I cannot, in good conscience, penalize something or someone for a fault that may lie within me and not with a picture.
I have seen and continue to see perfectly good photographs severely penalized here for exceeding the appreciative capacity of voters to recognize an entry for the poignant topicality it may demonstrate.
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08/28/2004 08:00:12 PM · #4 |
I've tried this once before but here we go...
A photo I feel meets the challenge will automatically get a score of at least a 4. If I feel it doesn't, it may still score up to a 5 depending on how good the photo is. 5 is an Average picture. 6 is really good. 7 is a very good photo that's got maybe a single flaw that makes you can't give higher. Anything in 8 9 10 are all gems and are very rare to give out. These will all be compaired to each other in order to determine which ones get 10's 9's and 8's after voting on all 100% of the pictures in the competition and reviewing them more throughly. Anything in the 7 range will often be moved up if it seems more striking that 2nd time around. I hope that made sense... i'm kinda rambling. |
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08/28/2004 08:07:22 PM · #5 |
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08/28/2004 09:30:12 PM · #6 |
I scan all entries the first time to get a general feel of whatâs been submitted.and will look closely at the ones that catch my eyeâ¦..but I donât vote yet.
Then all of my voting is based off of a 5 to start if it meets the challenge and is technically sound then it gets a 5
6, 7, and 8 votes are based on emotion, creativity, originality, and AW! Factor
9 are given to a maximum of 5 entries that I would like to ribbon.
I have not given out any 10 votes yet. If I do give a 10 I will contact you to purchase a print.
4 votes are for pics that meet challenge requirements but are not technically sound
3 votes are for pics that donât meet the challenge and are not technically sound
I donât like to give out 2 votes, but it does happen.
1âs are reserved for OBVIOUS âBrown Ribbonâ candidates
EXCEPTION.Off challenge entries that are technically sound and have emotion, creativity, originality, and/or AW! Factor could get bumped up to a max of 7.
I try to comment on all of my lower scores, higher scores, and a couple of random mid-range scores. I comment on all exceptions and all 9, 3, 2, and 1âs get comments.
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08/28/2004 09:49:33 PM · #7 |
| I like it, I don't like it. |
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08/28/2004 10:10:31 PM · #8 |
| Do I like the picture ? 7 or better. Do I dislike it ? 4 or lower. Is it in the middle ? then 5 or 6. |
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08/29/2004 12:05:20 AM · #9 |
| I throw dices,than my 98 year old blind grandma does the fine tuning ! |
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08/29/2004 12:23:34 AM · #10 |
I've studied with the french Figure skating judges,,,,,whom ever pays me the most....
Seriously, I look at technique first, then compostion and lastly "treatment", I think that treatment is a very subjective thing but that technical proficency should be atained no matter what the subject matter.
Message edited by author 2004-08-29 00:23:48. |
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08/29/2004 02:13:12 AM · #11 |
I see that generally people do vote by criteria, which brings me to question if voting by criteria may change another problem....
there have been a few occasions where people place their photos to request for critiques, if voting by criteria in the first place then maybe an over all statistic can be seen where the photo faultered?
secondly i have also seen that there have been occasions where the winning photograph has still received a vote of 2 or of the likes. In these instances there has been questioning as to why this is so.... maybe that can also be eliminated by criteria voting originally instead of an overall vote?
Any ideas, comments, suggestions etc with regards to using criteria voting...? |
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09/08/2004 01:43:34 PM · #12 |
| no way, actually no limit of different criteria comes out from different mind, whether it is wrond or write way to vote an image. There is one way to win a challenge , that is to know the mind of people who see the image and cast votes, then submit your photos. |
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09/08/2004 02:02:23 PM · #13 |
If the photograph has blue in it, I give it a 4 and then add 1 point for each cloud in the picture. A large cloud may receive 2 additional points. If the photograph is in black and white, but I presume that one of the objects in the photo may have been blue I will give it 1 less point than what I would normally give the photo.
Now, if the photograph is not on topic but has a child in the photograph who is frowning I will usually score the photo at 3. Clouds will not help the photograph in this case. If the subject's name rhymes with a number, I will submit the appropriate vote. For example, a photograph of a girl whose name is Rix, will receive a score of six. Points will be deducted, however, if there is a deciduous tree in the background or if the photograph was taken indoors.
All pictures of amphibian life are graded differently. If there are multiple creatures in the photograph, I will take the number of creatures and divide it by two which results in the base score for the photograph. In the water, the photographed creatures will receive one addition point whereas out of the water a point will be deducted. If some of the amphibians are in the water and others are on land the photo will be awarded a 9. An amphibian in mid-flight will result in confusion and a score of 2. Clouds will be taken into consideration, however.
If, after taking the above criteria into consideration, the photograph's score has not been determined I usually flip a coin.
Heads...I give it a 1. Tails...I flip the coin again.
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10/02/2004 09:38:55 PM · #14 |
| very interesting way of voting "thatcloudthere" hehehehe maybe i should now consider only taking photos of clouds and making sure my subject rhymes with the number 10... so possibly my next photo will have a person called ben in it ;) though im just fooling around thanx for the idea though :D |
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10/02/2004 10:03:33 PM · #15 |
A while back someone here said that they write the names of all the entries on little pieces of paper, then throw the papers down the stairs (10 steps), then they picked up the papers on each step and gave that picture the score from the step number on which they'd fallen. I always thought that was a great method (but at the time I had only a half-staircase, with 6 steps only).
@thatcloudthere - love your method! Reminds me of an episode in Star Trek, where Captain Kirk is teaching a bunch of Chicago gangster types to play something like poker, and uses instructions similar to yours.
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10/03/2004 12:12:14 AM · #16 |
Magic 8 Ball.
Does this shot deserve anything above a 3? *rattle*rattle*rattle* "My sources say no." The accuracy is uncanny. ;-) |
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10/03/2004 12:16:21 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
If the photograph has blue in it, I give it a 4 and then add 1 point for each cloud in the picture. A large cloud may receive 2 additional points. If the photograph is in black and white, but I presume that one of the objects in the photo may have been blue I will give it 1 less point than what I would normally give the photo.
Now, if the photograph is not on topic but has a child in the photograph who is frowning I will usually score the photo at 3. Clouds will not help the photograph in this case. If the subject's name rhymes with a number, I will submit the appropriate vote. For example, a photograph of a girl whose name is Rix, will receive a score of six. Points will be deducted, however, if there is a deciduous tree in the background or if the photograph was taken indoors.
All pictures of amphibian life are graded differently. If there are multiple creatures in the photograph, I will take the number of creatures and divide it by two which results in the base score for the photograph. In the water, the photographed creatures will receive one addition point whereas out of the water a point will be deducted. If some of the amphibians are in the water and others are on land the photo will be awarded a 9. An amphibian in mid-flight will result in confusion and a score of 2. Clouds will be taken into consideration, however.
If, after taking the above criteria into consideration, the photograph's score has not been determined I usually flip a coin.
Heads...I give it a 1. Tails...I flip the coin again. |
I thought I was the only one who did it this way!
You NEED to put this on your portfolio page! |
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10/03/2004 12:25:45 AM · #18 |
| I vote on all the pictures at my first go around based on pure gut around the number 5. 5 being good but not too good. Then I reexamine my votes in the thumbnail mode readjusting scores wherever I see fit. Depending on the score distribution, I might spread it out a bit. If my top score is a 7, I may make it an 8 and thus try and reward the better pictures more. I then comment on my favorites and on the ones I thought had 1 minor mistake that could've easily been fixed just in case noone else commented on it. Hey, it may take a while but I feel good about it when I'm done. Plus it's fun. |
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10/03/2004 12:49:43 AM · #19 |
Voting is kind of like being an umpire behind the plate at a baseball game. It does not matter if you call some balls strikes, and some strikes ball as long as you are consistent you usually will not get any complaints.
Vote the way you feel about the photograph:
1. Don't vote when you are distracted
2. Don't vote when you are angry
3. Don't vote when you are very tired
4. Try not to vote on all photo in one session
5. Go back once or twice to see if the vote you gave still applies.
6. Everyone says "Think out of the box" when taking a picture,"Think out of the box" when voting as well
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10/03/2004 01:13:07 AM · #20 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
If the photograph has blue in it, I give it a 4 and then add 1 point for each cloud in the picture. A large cloud may receive 2 additional points ... |
Sounds like a plan to me : )
 
North Oakland Clouds |
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10/03/2004 01:16:19 AM · #21 |
1 if i hate it and think it deserves to loss
5 if i think its alright and think it shouldn't come last
10 if i like it and think it deserves to win
Message edited by author 2004-10-03 01:20:58.
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