well, i just finished voting this challenge, and i saw a lot of amazing shots, but i saw an unbelievable number of shots that were a 'challenge' for me to vote on--in terms of balancing the photography with the challenge interpretation.
i would seriously suggest that anyone who is motivated by scores, and finds their score at 5.5 or less in this challenge, read this thread.
if i were to add some pointers to shannon's thread, regarding this challenge, it would be along these lines:
1) if you have to come up with an extremely creative interpretation of the challenge in order to enter something, you probably will get hammered for it. (and if scoring is important to you, why bother entering? it might be best to skip it.)
2) if you care about your scores, before you enter, ask yourself realistically how it is going to come across to most voters:
. A) meets the challenge and is technically sound
. B) meets the challenge, but you really pushed the limits
. C) meets the challenge, but needs work technically
. D) probably DMTC, but is really a killer picture
. E) probably DMTC, and could use some work
. F) really shoe-horned in, but you don't care
. G) you have no clue about it, but you are going to enter anyway
3) if you want to improve, you have to decide what you want to improve: do you want to improve your photography, your scores, or both? while 'improving your photography' can mean just about anything, it basically means being in control of your camera so that you can capture whatever it is you set out to capture. this leads towards 'technical' competence. 'improving your scores' basically means being able to interpret the challenge with a mainstream definition, but being able to deliver a creative representation of that mainstream definition. i cannot stress enough, the value of researching past challenges to see what the top-20 finishers did to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack.
i really believe you can get where you want, if you make an earnest effort. but, if you simply go about it throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks, it's probably going to be a frustrating experience.
good luck!
edit: clarity
Message edited by author 2005-07-13 08:36:06. |
