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11/12/2002 07:02:39 AM · #1 |
I have been a member of DP Challenge for about 8 months and I was just looking back at my early submissions and my early photos after I bought my camera- it was time to take stock- had I grown or learned any more about the art of photography—bearing in mind that at the time I thought my early photos were fantastic! What has digital challenge taught me-.
1-World wide tastes vary considerably and it is a salutary lesson to see other people react in puzzlement to something you or your family may take for granted.
2-Don’t be too clever with the title—will people understand what the title is all about let alone the picture.
3-Be very precise with the focus-out of focus images are severely punished.
4-Choose the subject carefully—the cute factor has its advantages as well as its backlash but people relate to the interesting and cute more than the boring or mundane
5-Exposure should be spot on with good contrast between the lightest portion and the darkest without whiteouts or huge areas of black shadow
6-Use photoshop well. Use the levels control-contrast-saturation and especially the unsharp mask to finish off the photo-do not over sharpen it is very obvious but sharpening is a skill that is learned over many photos-practise it. When I first started submitting I didn’t even know what the Unsharp mask was. Do not over saturate –even if this looks stunning in the beginning- people can tire of it- but people seem to like clean bright colours.
7-Take a lot of shots and select very carefully—what looks in focus on the camera or the thumbnail may not be so focussed when blown up on the monitor all-- the dust and dirt that you did not notice becomes obvious.
8-Use the rule of thirds-it does really work in most pictures
9-Keep to the challenge—nothing can be done about the people who have a very narrow interpretation but most people will realise that you are on target.
10-The WOW factor is what wins the contest- sometimes luck plays its hand and you may win-- but this factor turns a good photo into a great one
11-Let the subject fill the image- messy background detail detracts—and on this site a white background seems to work well
12-Sex sells and a great model will sell a photo to the viewers
13-Make sure your horizon is level—If the viewer feels that the horizontals and verticals are out even fractionally—the votes will show
14-Use the facilities of dpchallenge the tutorials are excellent
15-I am sure that most of the things I have learned about photographing for the contest apply in the real world of photography—our voters are not an unusually stupid bunch of idiots who don’t appreciate our works of art-- but they are a microcosm of society that we are privileged to test our skills against-and get a feedback
16-Comment on other peoples photos at least as much as they comment on yours
I am sure there are many things people can add to my list and perhaps we should build up an advice list for new members.I think that dp challenge has enriched my photography beyond imagining in several ways. It has forced me to go out and think about photographing things I never would have done before. It has also increased my admiration for those who do it right most of the time. One day I hope to be able to use all my own advice and not get carried away by a whim.
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11/12/2002 07:29:28 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by andrewm:
... One day I hope to be able to use all my own advice and not get carried away by a whim.
Which will be the day you should sell your camera. :-)
Hobbies, art and fun are fueled by whims. Jobs are fueled by measured and controlled behaviour regardless of your personal pleasure. What is photography to you?
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11/12/2002 07:59:55 AM · #3 |
| You are quite right but only when you know the rules can you break them--that is where art lies. |
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11/12/2002 08:11:57 AM · #4 |
Andrew, I think you are fairly on target with most of your ideas here... However....
In your list, you fail to mention that these issues ONLY apply to photos that you submit to DPC. For your own personal photography, you can toss about 80% of that list right out the window.
DPC has a strange effect on people that I have not quite figured out yet. It can make a good photographer feel like his work sucks. I believe it's the simple concept of the 'challenge'. You are in a competition here. Not only a competition, but one where you are judged by those who are competing against you :)
During the last two months, I think I have participated in one challenge. I have been taking a break and working on some photos that I want to do for myself. I'm feeling rejuvinated. I have produced some images that truly make me happy. What's even better, I have not had to read comments about nitpicky issues of 'perfection' and minor detail that play no role in the image :)
I think everyone should try this. DPC can easily consume your entire photography 'hobby time' if you let it :)
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11/12/2002 08:15:14 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by andrewm:
You are quite right but only when you know the rules can you break them--that is where art lies.
I agree about knowing the rules in order to break them. Thats a standard text in Art 101. What I fear is often people get caught up in the "rules" of photography and forget about what attracted them to photography in the first place ( I bet it wasn't all the rules they needed to memorize).
I don't disagree with the context of your original message. Just hoping it doesn't lead to a lot of well focused, well lit, rule of thirded photos that lose all of what makes "you" you :-)
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11/12/2002 08:18:04 AM · #6 |
Andrew, I think you've got a great list of what makes a successful picture on DPC. Sadly though, reading through this I was struck that it sounds
like a perfect recipe for really boring, formulaic pictures with no
real interest or excitement to them. Certainly points 3 and 5
are contrary to the features I see in all the really successful pictures
that I enjoy anywhere else, other than DPC.
I'm not taking issue with your list which I think is pretty spot on,
I'm just saddened by it slightly.
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11/12/2002 08:48:07 AM · #7 |
| I think I must make it plain that this list does apply to photos on dp challenge--but on the other hand being a devils advocate we are all puzzled sometimes by the reaction to some of our beloved photos. I have submitted photos that I have thought about carefully and designed carefully only to get a mediocre reaction whereas my daughter takes a shot and beats me hollow!I have tried to fathom out peoples reaction to photos and I think that the audience at dp challenge reacts no differently from any other audience--and is in fact a "neutral " judge--unencumbered by an emotional attachment to the subject or the photographer--this is very valuable to anyone who wants to improve the general audience approval of his photos. Of course the rules are there to be broken and Freeman Paterson says go through a month of breaking all the rules but on this site if you break the rules your score may suffer. I do take other photos which are not for dp challenge and you are quite right one finds oneself hedged in and you have to consciously break out |
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11/12/2002 09:07:53 AM · #8 |
Actually, I think I now understand how I'd like to change your list
3/ Focus should be used well, to emphasise the features of your picture that you want the viewer to pay attention to. Out of focus subjects tend to get penalised. I wish that infinite depth of field was not required for every entry (!)
5/ exposure should be used to bring attention to your subject. Lighting should highlight the areas of interest in your image. Over or under exposure should be used as a tool to convey your meaning, not as a mistaken byproduct of bad technique.
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11/12/2002 10:47:26 AM · #9 |
This one also requires some discussion:
12- Sex sells and a great model will sell a photo to the viewers
That's really not true. I've pointed this out a few times, but here it goes again... Photos on this site have to appeal equally well to men and women to be voted high, or to win. An overtly sexual image, where sex is the dominant theme (unlike Setzler's "Forbidden Fruit" where it supported the dominant Biblical theme) will NOT win. A model has to be well selected and used to have universal appeal. For a female model, men should want her and women should want to BE her (ie. men should find her attractive and women should be able to identify with her). In this respect, a photo of an attractive female has to be fun or empowering, and not overtly submissive, for women to identify well with her. (I would say "I'm Lust" from the Seven Deadly Sins challenge had enough of the fun aspect to score highly with women). Similarly, if you use a male model, women should want him and men should want to be him.
Regardless of all that, you would probably find that non-sexual portraits and studies of people have scored higher, consistently, than sexual ones. Whether they are cute kid shots or dignified portraits of older people (like "Woman on the Train"), people react much better to a real looking person than an obviously photogenic, well made up, deliberately posed photo of a model.
* This message has been edited by the author on 11/12/2002 10:45:14 AM.
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11/12/2002 02:14:00 PM · #10 |
| Gordon I would agree with your alterations I think you have put in words what I meant.Lisae--when I say sex sells this does not mean overtly sexual shots--they often dont work on this site-but to put it baldly and in very sexist language beautiful women and handsome men will sell the product. this is proved time and again by advertising. |
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