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10/07/2008 04:33:46 PM · #1 |
So I was a very active member on this site back in 2002 - 2004 and entered a lot of challenges and won a ribbon or two. Well the portrait challenge sparked my interest, so I dusted off my camera and took a photo for it and entered the challenge. While I'm scoring fairly well, I have since gone through and voted on the current challenges and have observed that in the Members Challenge we have a lot of bad post processing (HDR being the majority of them), and in the Open Challenges a lot of the shots seem to lack style, and the photographic element that makes a photo more than a 'snap-shot'.
Now I'm not trying to ruffle feathers here, but have any of the other 'old-timers' noticed that overall the image quality of entry submissions have declined over the years? I'm not saying there aren't some great photographs in the current challenges, because I did score some really high scores, but overall the site seems to have leveled off to mediocrity in my opinion.
-danny |
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10/07/2008 04:35:45 PM · #2 |
It ebbs and flows.
Overall, no. At this exact moment in time, perhaps. |
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10/07/2008 04:37:37 PM · #3 |
| based on my scores the quality of my shots has declined :) |
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10/07/2008 04:38:08 PM · #4 |
| There have been a high number of entries which qualify as "dead pixels walking" in every challenge since I've ever been here. I don't necessarily notice an uptick. |
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10/07/2008 04:40:31 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by crabappl3:
So I was a very active member on this site back in 2002 - 2004 and entered a lot of challenges and won a ribbon or two. Well the portrait challenge sparked my interest, so I dusted off my camera and took a photo for it and entered the challenge. While I'm scoring fairly well, I have since gone through and voted on the current challenges and have observed that in the Members Challenge we have a lot of bad post processing (HDR being the majority of them), and in the Open Challenges a lot of the shots seem to lack style, and the photographic element that makes a photo more than a 'snap-shot'.
Now I'm not trying to ruffle feathers here, but have any of the other 'old-timers' noticed that overall the image quality of entry submissions have declined over the years? I'm not saying there aren't some great photographs in the current challenges, because I did score some really high scores, but overall the site seems to have leveled off to mediocrity in my opinion.
-danny |
Hi Danny, you have been quiet for a while! I agree that unless a photo is processed to hell in a hand cart, it just doesn't make the grade here anymore. A good image, well exposed and interesting composition, but not processed to any great extent will not do well. Mediocre shots with excessive PP seem the order of the day and score well. |
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10/07/2008 04:46:57 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by crabappl3:
Now I'm not trying to ruffle feathers here, but have any of the other 'old-timers' noticed that overall the image quality of entry submissions have declined over the years? I'm not saying there aren't some great photographs in the current challenges, because I did score some really high scores, but overall the site seems to have leveled off to mediocrity in my opinion. |
I look forward to congratulating you on your easy win.
PS: My images are just as mediocre as they ever were. |
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10/07/2008 04:52:36 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by ambaker:
Originally posted by crabappl3:
Now I'm not trying to ruffle feathers here, but have any of the other 'old-timers' noticed that overall the image quality of entry submissions have declined over the years? I'm not saying there aren't some great photographs in the current challenges, because I did score some really high scores, but overall the site seems to have leveled off to mediocrity in my opinion. |
I look forward to congratulating you on your easy win.
PS: My images are just as mediocre as they ever were. |
I don't think I've won either of the challenges I've enter by any means. My post is just my perception that it appears the talent has gone from taking a good photo to being able to post-process the heck out of a pig and put lipstick on it ;-)
-danny |
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10/07/2008 05:04:03 PM · #8 |
| My pig-- I mean, my pic resents that comment! |
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10/07/2008 05:05:47 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by crabappl3:
I don't think I've won either of the challenges I've enter by any means. My post is just my perception that it appears the talent has gone from taking a good photo to being able to post-process the heck out of a pig and put lipstick on it ;-) |
Well then, there's my problem... I need to run down to the store and get me some lipstick for my pigs..
Dang! If I'd a known it was that easy... Here I was thinking it was because I'm a crappy photographer, only to find that it is because I'm crappy with post processing... ;-) |
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10/07/2008 05:12:41 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by crabappl3:
My post is just my perception that it appears the talent has gone from taking a good photo to being able to post-process the heck out of a pig and put lipstick on it ;-)
-danny |
This can certainly be true, but god forbid you tell anyone that ;) |
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10/07/2008 05:17:27 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by ambaker:
Originally posted by crabappl3:
I don't think I've won either of the challenges I've enter by any means. My post is just my perception that it appears the talent has gone from taking a good photo to being able to post-process the heck out of a pig and put lipstick on it ;-) |
Well then, there's my problem... I need to run down to the store and get me some lipstick for my pigs..
Dang! If I'd a known it was that easy... Here I was thinking it was because I'm a crappy photographer, only to find that it is because I'm crappy with post processing... ;-) |
Well in the open challenge with minimal processing, one should have a pretty good idea if the photo is good or not.
There was a point in time that myself, as well as many people I chatted with at the time would enter every challenge just to enter... this resulted in my own disinterest in taking a good photo and changed my pics to just challenge entries. Scores in the low 5s resulted as well as frustration and eventually quit entering challenges all together. Since February of 2006 I've only now entered 3 challenges, but a side affect of becoming just a challenge photographer, I lost my interest in just capturing the world around me. I've since purchased a D300 and a looking for my muse again, and thus have entered the free challenge and portrait challenge this past week.
I myself became a 'pig photographer' and hope that if I continue entering challenges that I can take good photos and not images just to shoe horn into a challenge just so I have something to 'refresh' a score on.
-danny |
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10/07/2008 05:27:46 PM · #12 |
I was noticing in a recent large challenge that there were quite a few highly-processed shots... some of them really worked, however (perhaps a third of them). The processing on the other two thirds seemed to miss the mark, or the processing did not seem to be directed to any goal, but apparently was there "because I can."
I *do* think that, over the years, as the community has become more sophisticated with regard to processing, that the processing has taken a more prominent role. I still do see many shots, however, that are minimally processed and are just outstanding with regard to both the artistic and technical aspects of photography.
I've spent a fair portion of the last 4.5 years reviewing originals for validation, so I've got, perhaps, a different perspective than most voters. I have found that I can often tell when someone has "put lipstick on the pig" by trying to salvage a low-contrast, underexposed, soft or otherwise flawed image with processing. Some of these score very well, but many do not, perhaps indicating that the majority of other voters also sense this. |
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10/07/2008 05:29:47 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by crabappl3:
...and hope that if I continue entering challenges that I can take good photos and not images just to shoe horn into a challenge just so I have something to 'refresh' a score on.
-danny |
Well said. I've been all but absent from challenges this year, and I do miss the excitement of entering and watching scores, but I won't enter just to enter any more. |
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10/07/2008 05:39:40 PM · #14 |
It seems like there is enough demand on this site to have minimal edit challenges more often. It seems to suit this group well. I say this coming off a victory so I might be biased ;P
Originally posted by crabappl3:
Well in the open challenge with minimal processing, one should have a pretty good idea if the photo is good or not.
-danny |
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10/07/2008 05:52:51 PM · #15 |
After reading this, I wanted to go through the results and see if I agreed. I don't think I do. The insinuation here is that processing makes images score higher. This might be true but the "WINNERS" tend to be very strong images without excessive processing.
I have to say that "commercial", well-lit photos like this:
tend to do just as well or better than dramatically processed images. I looked through the ribbon images in recent challenges and processing doesn't see to be a huge factor in those that were in the top 5. Maybe it's just me and my understanding of "over-processing"?
Maybe someone could show me an example (without offending the photog)?
Originally posted by SteveJ:
I agree that unless a photo is processed to hell in a hand cart, it just doesn't make the grade here anymore. A good image, well exposed and interesting composition, but not processed to any great extent will not do well. Mediocre shots with excessive PP seem the order of the day and score well. |
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10/07/2008 06:08:02 PM · #16 |
| Actually I think I could do with a little more lipstick on my pigs, but they don't stand still long enough. |
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10/07/2008 06:17:02 PM · #17 |
| Yah I am with you on that one Tnun |
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10/07/2008 06:19:40 PM · #18 |
| Does anyone know where I can get a pig to put lipstick on? I can't even get a pig! |
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10/07/2008 06:39:08 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by kawesttex:
Does anyone know where I can get a pig to put lipstick on? I can't even get a pig! |
According to my wife, all I have to do is look in the mirror ;-) |
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10/07/2008 06:45:07 PM · #20 |
| Guess I will have to watch for the LipStickPig plug-in to become available for Aperture...... |
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10/07/2008 07:18:00 PM · #21 |
This thread needs more visuals.
edit: Dammit! There goes my October Free Study!
Message edited by author 2008-10-07 19:19:46. |
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10/07/2008 07:20:06 PM · #22 |
| Now you've done it! All my pigs have run away. Headed south. |
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10/07/2008 07:20:28 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by metatate:
The insinuation here is that processing makes images score higher. |
I've never even been close to insinuating this. My comments are not at all directed at final score, but the lack of good photograph skills, and trying to compensate for that with the more liberal editing rules than the ones of years before. I do like a good amount of the well done HDR images, and there are also great processed images in other areas, but to rely on your post processing to score better as opposed to the hot pepper example, which is a well setup and executed shot, you're only limiting how much your photography grows as opposed to your post-processing skills.
If you study the higher scoring shots, and read and learn from your critiques, and put into practice what you learn from these, your photography will improve... the catch here is that you can end up falling into the trap of only shooting shots that score well with the DPC voting public and fall away from your own artistic vision. It's a double edged sword for sure, but somewhere in between should be your own style and a photograph that stands on it's own, and scores well.
-danny |
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10/07/2008 07:20:59 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
This thread needs more visuals.
edit: Dammit! There goes my October Free Study! |
Right! You betcha! |
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10/07/2008 07:27:25 PM · #25 |
| guess there could be a posthumous lip-sticked-pig ribbon--won't be "coveted" though.... |
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