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DPChallenge Forums >> Individual Photograph Discussion >> Wildlife: Why so many 5s?
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Showing posts 26 - 39 of 39, (reverse)
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 10/11/2004 06:37:26 AM · #26
Originally posted by annasense:
My entry:

I really like this photo... and I am confounded by the number of "5" votes I received. That's below average-- is this really a below-average shot? I mean, if so many people feel this way, I'd like to know how to improve this as a photo to at least bump it to "6" (above average) status. Any advice?

Lori, I was one that gave you 5 , my main reason was the saturation, slightly overdone.
A 5 in my book is not below average but a decent average shot.In this challenge there were many what I would call "leaning over the railing zoo shots" I didn't mark any down for being zoo shots but to get higher they had to be, just that bit better, ie. focus,composition, colour etc.
Bear in mind,no pun intended, but you had a captive subject and could take your time to get the right shot. Many of the natural wildlife pictures couldn't.
You submitted the correct one and in my opinion got a decent score,
Hope this explains my reasons, keep shootin,
Paul.
 10/11/2004 07:05:41 AM · #27
The composition lets this one down for me, the tigers' placement in the frame looks more accidental than deliberate. The fact that the tiger in the back blends into the foreground tiger at the top without seeing his face really spoils this. The colours, even if desaturated a tad, detract from the shot. The colour of the tigers, although very nice, highlight the fact that the composition looks a bit random. Because you want us to focus on the tigers which are dark, but your background is very light, the eye keeps being drawn away from the tigers and to the background. The eye will naturally want to focus on what is lighter. The tiger at the bottom is kind of interesting, but you've really captured here what seems like a moment of boredom for the tigers, I'd love to see them when something has interested them, or a special moment of some kind is happening. I think the tree, rather than leading the eye to the tiger, is in fact leading the eye out of the frame. It's important not to let any compositional elements lead the viewer's eye out of the frame, where they lose interest. As well as being lighter, the background has loads of texture and shape which contribute to the effect of pulling the viewer's eye away from the tigers. There's a rogue tail belonging to the tiger at the top of the frame which looks a bit odd. The tigers at the top are not particularly sharp.

I know we can all get a bit attached to our creations sometimes, but it's important to be ruthless with yourself in the quest to create better pictures! I hope all this is constructive, rather than just a barrage of criticism... but I really feel that this is more of a 'snapshot', than a picture that was really thought about when the shutter was pressed.

Good luck!
 10/11/2004 07:51:56 AM · #28
Bobster, it was constructive until the word "snapshot" entered your comment. I don't agree with that part, but I'll take the rest to heart.
 10/11/2004 08:05:46 AM · #29
:-)
 10/11/2004 10:18:57 AM · #30
There's nothing 'bad' about the shot, just an accumulation of minor deductions. Oversaturated tigers, the dull moment, the tree leading out of the frame, some blurriness in the background, maybe a few zoo-hater votes, and the way those background tigers blend together, etc.

I'm guessing that your Cinema Display doesn't look any different than ours- it's just that tigers aren't THAT bright orange in real life. They're more of a tawny color that blends in with dry jungle leaves. To my eye, the composition might be improved a little by cropping vertically between the rock on the left and the tree.

Look on the bright side- at least YOU didn't get a 1 (how is a grizzly not wildlife? Shaking my head...). ;-)
 10/11/2004 11:06:17 AM · #31
Hi Lori - I also gave this a 5. I did not like the tree, which takes the eye away from the main subjects. Also not very keen on the oversaturation. Its a good photo and a 5 is an average score to me. Maybe you do vote too highly. There is a lot of that here on this site!
Best of luck

Mike

10/11/2004 11:35:19 AM · #32
Originally posted by scalvert:

Look on the bright side- at least YOU didn't get a 1 (how is a grizzly not wildlife? Shaking my head...). ;-)


Thank you for the explanation. And I'm sorry you got a 1... no offense to the person who scored you a 1, but um, what an idiot! But of course, no offense.
10/11/2004 11:37:34 AM · #33
Okay, thanks to all of you, I now don't like my picture as much, which is fine now that I know WHY I shouldn't. :) All the things that were found to be "faulty" I had apparently justified in my mind, but I'm seeing what y'all are seeing, and I'm very glad I posted this... I was afraid to at first, but I'm really learning a lot.

I still think it's better than a snapshot. ;)
 10/11/2004 12:02:21 PM · #34
Originally posted by annasense:
Okay, thanks to all of you, I now don't like my picture as much, which is fine now that I know WHY I shouldn't. :) All the things that were found to be "faulty" I had apparently justified in my mind, but I'm seeing what y'all are seeing, and I'm very glad I posted this... I was afraid to at first, but I'm really learning a lot.

I still think it's better than a snapshot. ;)


Do be put off by what you like and what other people like. I have taken photos that I think are poor and other people think are great and also I have taken photos that I think are great but other people dont. It does not bother me one bit. I like what I like. You must be happy with your photos. I know that when someone picks one of mine as a favourite I think thats wonderful!

Mike

10/11/2004 12:03:11 PM · #35
What about a really good snapshot, rather than a less than average DPC entry? ;-)
 10/11/2004 12:13:16 PM · #36
Some people go to great lengths to create the look of a snapshot. A snapshot doesn't make a photograph a bad one. It's the final result with any method or style that matters.
 10/11/2004 02:00:25 PM · #37
I did not vote on this entry. If I had, I would have given this image a 4. A 4, on my scale, does not represent a 'bad' image. From my own guideline to voting, quote:

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, compositional issues or incongruous aesthetics; a technically 'stunning' capture bare of 'feeling' or aesthetic 'sense'.


10/11/2004 02:35:10 PM · #38
Originally posted by BobsterLobster:
What about a really good snapshot, rather than a less than average DPC entry? ;-)


You're getting better... ;)
 10/11/2004 02:35:32 PM · #39
Originally posted by xion:
Some people go to great lengths to create the look of a snapshot. A snapshot doesn't make a photograph a bad one. It's the final result with any method or style that matters.


I know... it's just that this one wasn't intended to look like one... :)
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