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DPChallenge Forums >> Challenge Results >> Score 5.99 or lower and want a critique? 06/07/07
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Showing posts 26 - 34 of 34, (reverse)
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 06/08/2007 09:25:28 AM · #26
Originally posted by stdavidson:
Originally posted by AzCKelly:

Would love some thoughts on this one, thought it was better than it scored ....(naturally!)

I haven't had a good score in so long I can't even remember. LOL!!! Your poor Suguaro looks like it lost a fight with a bolt of lightning.

....



Thanks Steve, now I'll just wait for the clouds to roll in again and try what you suggested. :)
 06/08/2007 09:35:41 AM · #27
Originally posted by stdavidson:
Originally posted by mattmac:

Positives:
The selective desaturation ...
Technicals:
The trick ...
The Challenge:
Boy, ...
Suggestions:
Since the background...


Awesome. Thanks so much for the critique!
 06/08/2007 09:45:08 AM · #28


Thanks for any input.
 06/08/2007 10:22:17 AM · #29

thanks
 06/09/2007 07:26:07 AM · #30

Steve, I am anxiously awaiting your critique on this one.
Thanks,
Diane
 06/09/2007 09:04:40 PM · #31
Originally posted by AzCKelly:


Thanks Steve, now I'll just wait for the clouds to roll in again and try what you suggested. :)

Actually, kawhona is the guy with the good suggestions.
 06/09/2007 10:35:36 PM · #32
Originally posted by shanksware:

Positives:
Greens contrasted against full earth tones with good background bokeh to emphasize the challenge topic.

Technicals:
Overall a decent quality macro capture. Brown tones across the whole image well emphasizes your intended purpose.

The general composition lacks a directing purpose and a true central interest point for viewers to latch onto and has a very shallow depth of field at f/2.8. It needs something more added to the composition.

Contrast looks weak but overall technical quality is acceptible except for the blurring of some of the plant leaves is not very smooth and act as viewer distractions because they are so close to the sharpest areas of the image. Their edges just don't look right.

The Challenge:
Obviously, you met the challenge. Despite all the discussion about such things virtually every photographer intends to and does meet the challenge. That is not a big issue here.

Though yours is a little more pronounced than most, you will notice that 85% of voters scored your image 4, 5, or 6... only 15% outside that range. It is fairly typical for an image be scored in a narrow range and therefore hard to know exactly what it means. There are HUGE quality differences between images scored 4.0 from ones scored 6.0 yet that is the mixed message sent to you with your vote distribution curve.

The fact there are only 15% of the votes above or below this range probably means there was little in the composition to provoke a user reaction. You were scored below average in a high quality challenge, but with added value this image would have finished much higher.

Suggestions:
------------------------------------------------
Probably the most important thing to do to "improve" your image is to add something more to the composition.

Your image reminds me of a story DrAchoo told about this sorta similar red ribbon winner he took for the Shapes challenge:


He explained that he picked a pea sprout with an interesting swirl from his garden and taped it to the kid's swing set to photograph. But he felt it was missing something so vainly went in search of his tradmark ladybug to include in the composition. He couldn't find one. Then he remembered where there were some big ants so went and got one, put it on the sprout and quickly photographed it for about 30 seconds while the ant struggled to escape.

Your image needs it's ant or equivalent. The sprouts are not enough. Its a great setting waiting for a main subject. The highest scoring images not only meet the challenge but always have added value to make the composition unique and more interesting.
------------------------------------------------

Even with your lens wide open you still had to have a 13 second exposure to get the picture. It would be very difficult include any animate object at that shutter speed. Additionally, shallow depth of field(DOF) hurt this image in voting somewhat. You need to shoot at a higher f/number for greater DOF. You could either lengthen the exposure time or get more lighting to make that possible. Of course, shooting at a higher f/number would screw up your great circular background bokeh. Ya just can't win sometimes and have to make compromises.

To see if the contrast is 'really' weak just do a quick "autolevels" adjustment. If it looks better to you after "autolevels" then it is weak and should be adjusted. :)
06/10/2007 11:04:07 AM · #33
Originally posted by landcamera:

5.3667, I really thought this would score at least in to the 6. something.

If I had a nickel for every time I thought that I'd be a rich man. LOL!!!

Positives:
Captures the feeling of a small country church in a pastoral setting.

Technicals:
General composition is OK, especially placement of the vegetation. The red door acts well as a central focal point for the composition theme.

The image is rotated slightly clockwise from the horizontal. Color is weak in the stained glass window and the greens in the trees and bushes. The church walls are fairly bland.

The Challenge:
Review the other entries in the composition and you will see there are some extraordinarily nice church images that got very ordinary scores. In general, if the composition featured only the building it scored lower than if it had other aditional elements supporting the idea of religion.

Yours scored a little above average in a challenge with nice imagery overall. Perhaps voters thought it a bit ordinary and lacked the illusive "wow" factor we all like to find in an image and then become jaded to those that don't have it for us.

The 4 1's stick out. This is pure speculation but perhaps some voters were turned off by your use of Christian Scripture in your title. There is nothing wrong with that and it supports your message well but DPC is a global group and there are places in the world where Christianity is part of the problem in polarized societies, so you get a couple extra 1s.

Suggestions:
For increased "wow" factor, if you go for such things, you might consider adjusting the greens to make them stand out more, applying a heavy dose of dodge and burn to the church wall to give it more depth and texture. Add very, very strong lighting to illuminate the stained glass window from the inside to brilliantly show it's colors and also support the door's invitation to enter.

Though it seems like a small thing rotate the image slightly counterclockwise for "straightening" the horizon. The horizon in a photograph does not necessarily have to match the true horizon. Unconciously viewers expect to see lines that are close to horizontal and vertical to be made "straight". When "crooked" they act as a viewer distraction.

Cropping off the top of the image to just above the white cross over the door would make the image more compact and draw more attention to the door.

Rather that use Scripture to convey your intent in the title, you might consider opening one of the doors to do the same thing photographically. Adding a model standing outside but looking through the door would add more interest to the composition and also support your theme.

Message edited by author 2007-06-10 11:08:50.
 06/11/2007 02:15:22 PM · #34
Thank you so much Steve. You critique was in-depth and very helpful.

Thanks also to skiprow for his insight.

You guys are great!
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