I finally did well at a challenge. 20th place and 6.5
average in the Still challenge. (Snow Leopard at a Zoo.)
My two other entries fared poorly, around 4.4 average.
And it was easy to see why I didn't do well. I think
if you can avoid previous mistakes and learn from them
you'll see your scoring average go up. And try not to be so
sensitive to criticism, as most comments here are constructive
in nature.
What is the most common criticism of a low scoring photo? DNMC
Does not Meet Challenge. What's another one? Low rated
photos tend to be out of focus as well. So if you enter a photo
that definitely meets the challenge and in focus, you stand
a good chance of getting at least a 5.0 Also be
sure to enter a photo that is close to or at 640 x 480.
That's not all of course. Cluttered photos also don't
do well. The main sujbect has to stand out. You can't have
backgrounds that distract attention away from the subject.
So simplify the background. Blur the background if you have to.
Good for DOF Depth of field as well.
Now, to get close to the 6.0 range, your photo has to
also be interesting to look at. You can have a simple
photo of a banana, and it can be well shot technically,
and meets the challenge, but it's still only a banana.
Unless that banana is dancing or talking or floating,
it probably won't get a ribbon. Be creative and original.
But if your scoring average is below 5.3, focus your efforts
on making a solid photo: Well focused, subject is unambiguous,
correct size, color and contrast just right. No distractiing
background or lighting. Follow the rule of thirds most of
the time.
Put it this way, if the only criticism you get on a photo
is that its uninteresting, then you'll be ahead of the curve.
Be solid technically first, then you can turn your
attention to how to make that bananana look like its dancing.
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