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04/07/2003 05:28:55 PM · #1 |
This photo didnt' get much feedback and I was just curious if anyone wants to give me a little extra. I really liked the shot but it scored well below average for me...
Oasis
Thanks in advance :)
John Setzler
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04/07/2003 05:38:36 PM · #2 |
Interesting - without reading your photographer comment I assumed that the water drop was actually a crystal pebble and part of the ornament - in which case the shot seemed well done, with good composition, but not hugely creative.
With the knowledge that the "crystal" is actually a drop - I think of it as more creative.
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04/07/2003 05:38:40 PM · #3 |
Ok I gave this shot a 6, so I'll stab at it.
I like the lizard. I think the reflective background is ok.
The dust, specks, and errant light spots hurt it - they detract from its 'perfection' - really the water should probably be clear from any mistakes for it to score higher.
I think cropping out his tail was a mistake.
The subject is pretty interesting, but maybe ... unrealistic? That's my .02 anyways!
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04/07/2003 05:42:17 PM · #4 |
Hi John,
Just from a glance I can offer a few things...
It might have been hit somewhat by the OPA factor. While I realise that it's not just a representation of the lizard, the photos of jewelry, sculptures etc. don't do as well.
It's also not totally clear that it's a macro. This might have hurt. Some will vote a shot lower for this.
The dust hurts. Easily fixable with cloning, yet another good argument for spot edits.
The lighting might be a bit harsh for a metallic/mirror surface. There are a few hotspots on the lizard, including and especially the mouth. It might have benefitted from a slightly (were talking very slightly) more diffuse light.
Interest? There's no real 'wow' factor. It's a great composition, but there's nothing terribly different or interesting about it. Hope you don't take that the wrong way, just calling it as I see it.
Think it should have done a bit better though, for the composition is good, the shot clear and good depth of focus for a macro. I like the border, too.
Really, the biggest thing for me is the dust.
James.
Message edited by author 2003-04-07 17:45:05. |
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04/07/2003 05:52:07 PM · #5 |
The lizard is fine, though I agree that it would be better with the full tail. I can imagine a shot with the lizard only taking 1/4 to 1/3 of the frame looking good, as would a tight in shot from above of just the head & its right leg.
I don't like the water at all. It looks like the lizard has just thrown up (though recent personal experience may be clouding my judgement here :-/). |
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04/07/2003 06:00:01 PM · #6 |
I gave it a five. My reasons were:
1) The lizard didn't do much for me. That's personal preference, but there you go.
2) I, too, thought the water drop was part of the ornament - it looks like a piece of crystal or something and the distortion of the lizard's head in the water makes it look like the 'crystal' is held in the lizard's mouth. It looked kinda weird, I thought.
3) Lighting, focus, etc, was good, hence the five.
Looking at it again, I think the reflection in the mirror confuses the eye and actually detracts rather than adds to the image.
Overall, it came down to it being a technically well-executed shot which just didn't strike any sort of chord with me personally.
Hope this helps (and doesn't offend).
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04/07/2003 06:08:34 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by bod:
I don't like the water at all. It looks like the lizard has just thrown up (though recent personal experience may be clouding my judgement here :-/). |
SNORT!!
(snort = ROFL)
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04/07/2003 06:24:27 PM · #8 |
I scored it a five.
I too thought the water looked dirty, couldn't see that it was a macro and didn't like his tail being cut off.
I could tell that the water was water and thought that was clever with the title. |
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04/07/2003 09:47:17 PM · #9 |
Ur all crazy! I think it's a great shot. Gave it a 9! I thought it was pretty clear the water was not a part of the lizard. Dirty, dusty, water? Just look like some reflections to me. This is an extremely clean photo compared to most of the stuff on here. I think cutting off the tail was perfect. Generates some interest -- sometimes its good to not have the entire subject perfectly fit in the frame (this was for macro anyway, no?).
I agree the interaction between the head and the water was a bit weird, but obviously not distracting enough for me to drop the score significantally.
To each his own... |
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04/08/2003 12:02:39 AM · #10 |
I didn't really like it because:
1) The mirror effect really didn't do anything for the pic I think. If anything it distorted the lizard's image.
2)The bubble in front of him looked to me like it was burping something up, like the other poster mentioned. Didn't really make sense to me.
3) It didn't look like a macro shot... the lizard appears to be of normal size and not a macro.
You are just above my picture in rating if that's any consulation! :D
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04/08/2003 02:23:23 AM · #11 |
John,
Must be tough to have one at "ONLY" 5.5
Consider this:
Perhaps you are just hanging on too tight, maybe you've lost the edge. Or could it be an age thing, brain cells dying and not being replaced.
Wait a minute, I got it, aliens probed your head with hideous technology and stole all your photography talent. Yeah, that's it!
Please tell us all just one thing, did they do anything... wellll... sexual?
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04/08/2003 03:04:36 AM · #12 |
John,
For the most part I agree totally with jimmythefish. His evaluation was pretty much the same spin I would have put on it. Though keeping the tail intact may have helped a little.
I personally didn't vote the macro challenge, as I rarely vote on challenges where I don't have something entered. (I looked, but I didn't vote!) But if I had voted, it would probably have gotten a 5 from me.
The mirror is ok, but I have come to regard them as cliche'. And the water drop wasn't really clear (bod has a point!) and I honestly didn't know what to make of it. It just looked wierd.
The composition was ok, even with the tail left out. But I think that between the strange water drop thing, and the missing tail, (I wouldn't have deducted for the dust) it was enough to cast this image into the land of the average. Hence, a score of 5.
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04/08/2003 08:29:32 AM · #13 |
I agree with those that say the water drop with its defects hurt this image.
Something not mentioned above is that this image seems to lack good contrast making it look a little drab. That certainly contributed.
Not sure how serious you can take these thoughts after the post up above. Sometimes the keyboard takes on a mind of its own. I say, "Stop it!", but it goes ahead and does it anyway. Perhaps therapy will help.
I think I'll just slip away into one of my other multiple personalities...
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04/08/2003 08:31:55 AM · #14 |
Thanks for the feedback :)
I believe that I have experienced a phenomenon here that has happened a few times in the past. I have a photo that *I* really like but I may be one of the few. This happens occasionally and I'm trying to learn from it. There's no real way to tell ahead of time what a viewing audience will think about an image. Even though the image didn't perform as I had hoped it would, I'm still quite happy with it, which is the main goal :)
The 'upchuck' factor of this photo is something I didn't even consider. I shot several different modes of this photo and the first attempts had water beads all over the mirror. That scene looked too busy, so I just decided to go with the single drop.
The 'macro' feel of the photograph is one that I DID feel would be an issue. When viewing the image, it's hard to tell what the actual size of the object is because the water drop is the only thing in the scene to give it any perspective. I knew going into the challenge that a macro photo that wasn't 'extreme' would suffer somewhat. The best I can describe the actual size of this brass lizard would be to say that what you see on the screen is approximately 25% larger than actual size. It's closer to a 1:1 view.
The tail being cut off didn't bother me and I didn't even consider that in my composition. I can't say that I would have done that part differently because the focal point of the photograph is on the opposite end of the image.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback :)
John Setzler
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