Worse than I feared! - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

07/08/2002 01:30:09 PM · #1

I am having a hard time judging this challenge.

Do I knock down the spider shots for lack of originality? What if spiders do not scare me?

Most of my favorite photos have little do to with the challenge. I really do not think that wild animals doing there thing has anything to do with fear. No fear really does not meet the challenge to my mind either.

What is everyone else doing?

welcher

Canon EOS-5D

07/08/2002 01:32:45 PM · #2

I interpreted this challenge as showing fear itself, not something scary, though I certainly admit the latter is perfectly valid. So in addition to submitting a photo which (I hope) shows fear, I find myself more drawn to these types of photos this week.

FranziskaLang

Nikon D100

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Nikon

07/08/2002 01:34:56 PM · #3

having a hard time, too. i just went through and voted based on gut feeling (does it portrait fear to me or evoke fear in me) and some technical merits. i will now go through the photos in more detail for the rest of the week and tweak my votes.

i don''t usually knock photos down just because there''s more than one entry of the same subject. i can''t help but compare those though.

* This message has been edited by the author on 7/8/2002 1:35:27 PM.

csb

Minolta DiMAGE 7Hi

07/08/2002 01:49:05 PM · #4

I didn't shoot a spider, but it looks like my "fear" photo is headed for last place! This is going to be a big bummer, since I've never placed outside of the top 3rd!! If I don't at least get last place, then I'll really be angry ;)

I think
--csb

Shiiizzzam

Sony DSC-F707

07/08/2002 01:49:13 PM · #5

Sadly, I must agree. I see a few that say fear to me without a title saving it. I'm judging as I see the photo without a title having to tell me this is about fear.

mnewman

Canon PowerShot G1

07/08/2002 02:00:38 PM · #6

Originally posted by Zeissman:
Do I knock down the spider shots for lack of originality? What if spiders do not scare me?

your job is to judge someone else's interpretation of fear along with the technical proficiency of their shot. whether or not you're afraid of spiders matters little.

RedRuthann

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

07/08/2002 02:03:42 PM · #7

I found this difficult as it was, and now I'm glad I didn't submit this week. I only took a quick glance. I was looking for something, that when I when I see it, I would experience the feeling of fear, not just being frightened or scared. But, because I find this difficult to photograph, I am going to vote on creativeness, technical - or overall photo quality and try to be very objective about the relavence to the challenge - instead of subjective according to my own personal perception of the meaning of the challenge.

crisa58

Olympus D-510 Zoom

07/08/2002 02:06:07 PM · #8

I understand, as several people asked in the earlier forums, the confusion between showing the emotion and showing the cause of the emotion. No conclusions were drawn then. And obviously, the very creative here decided for themselves.

However, I feel the quality is way down this week.

The animals walking about minding their own business, do not evoke fear in me. Neither does my own reflection. Yet both were submitted. So I rate them based on execution. Regardless of title and challenge. More, shall we say, free study.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

07/08/2002 02:08:01 PM · #9

I do not agree with that at all. If someone took a picture of an icecream cone, am I supposed to figure they have a fear of milk products?

The job of the photographer is to communicate with the viewer. If the photographer does not communicate effectively, that is not my fault.

There may also have been a different way to shoot a spider to make it look a little scarier.

Where do you get that job description?

Originally posted by mnewman:
Originally posted by Zeissman:
[i]Do I knock down the spider shots for lack of originality? What if spiders do not scare me?

your job is to judge someone else's interpretation of fear along with the technical proficiency of their shot. whether or not you're afraid of spiders matters little.
[/i]

Gotcha

07/08/2002 02:08:25 PM · #10

When I look at some of the spider shots- The spiders seem to be smiling.... several of them look more happy than scarey.
I'm not docking points for other's fears. If I can relate it to fear in any way.... Then I move on to how interesting the photo is and the technical aspects and difficulty of the shot.

welcher

Canon EOS-5D

07/08/2002 02:13:12 PM · #11

I'm on a relatively slow connection right now, so I have no desire to queue up a page full of thumbnails. BUT, what is the relative proportion of those trying to show them emotion "fear", and those showing things that could cause fear?

eddy

Fujifilm FinePix 2800Z

07/08/2002 02:15:29 PM · #12

Originally posted by Zeissman:
I am having a hard time judging this challenge.

Most of my favorite photos have little do to with the challenge.

That says photographing fear is not an easy thing. I also dont understand why photos are submitted that have nothing to do with the challenge. There were a few in the last one that didnt need to be there.

Ed

CEO

Olympus C-3040Z

07/08/2002 02:18:52 PM · #13

I agree that this is a difficult challenge. In my picture, I try to show an expression of fear instead of something that causes fear. However, it seems I failed to convince many of the voters for my picture shows too much smile. Needless to say, my subject, my 3 year old son, was indeed frightened, otherwise his eyebrows would not go up that high. :)

Here you go, now my picture is no longer anonymous. Please don't let this fact clouds your voting judgement.

Gotcha

07/08/2002 02:30:09 PM · #14

I love your shot CEO.... Woosh, for a second I thought your son was a spider.

mnewman

Canon PowerShot G1

07/08/2002 02:37:48 PM · #15

Originally posted by Zeissman:
I do not agree with that at all. If someone took a picture of an icecream cone, am I supposed to figure they have a fear of milk products?

that's taking it to a ridiculous extreme. however, if someone did submit a picture of an icecream cone, i don't think it be too hard to figure out that maybe that person is lactose intolerant and milk products do represent a legitimate fear to that person.

The job of the photographer is to communicate with the viewer. If the photographer does not communicate effectively, that is not my fault.

true enough, but if we go through this challenge with tunnel-vision pitting our fears against someone else's then i think we're missing the whole point of the challenge. it's about interpretation, not whether the picture scares us. in a challenge like this, i think it helps to be just a little (more) objective since, as previously discussed, fear is such a difficult thing to capture--made even more difficult due to the fact that different people fear different things.

There may also have been a different way to shoot a spider to make it look a little scarier.

that being a technical matter, i agree.

Maverick

Nikon D200

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di for Nikon

07/08/2002 02:43:43 PM · #16

I'll be fighting you for that one = P
62 votes and only one comment that is not helpful AT ALL - there aren't even any words in it... Well, I really like my picture anyway.

Originally posted by csb:
I didn't shoot a spider, but it looks like my "fear" photo is headed for last place! This is going to be a big bummer, since I've never placed outside of the top 3rd!! If I don't at least get last place, then I'll really be angry ;)

I think
--csb

CEO

Olympus C-3040Z

07/08/2002 02:50:08 PM · #17

Originally posted by Gotcha:
I love your shot CEO.... Woosh, for a second I thought your son was a spider.

THanks Gotcha, maybe I should change the title to: "Woosh" :)

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

07/08/2002 03:47:13 PM · #18

MNEWMAN,

I do not want to get into a pissing contest with you, and I agree on a wide interpretation, and giving the benefit of the doubt, I have argued that before myself.

But the most successful will be the ones that inspire a little fear in the viewer. A photo of a creature that looks like it is from a zoological text does not inspire much fear in me. I hate giving many scores at 5 or below, but I am having a hard time this challenge.

Originally posted by mnewman:
Originally posted by Zeissman:
[i] I do not agree with that at all. If someone took a picture of an icecream cone, am I supposed to figure they have a fear of milk products?

that's taking it to a ridiculous extreme. however, if someone did submit a picture of an icecream cone, i don't think it be too hard to figure out that maybe that person is lactose intolerant and milk products do represent a legitimate fear to that person.

The job of the photographer is to communicate with the viewer. If the photographer does not communicate effectively, that is not my fault.

true enough, but if we go through this challenge with tunnel-vision pitting our fears against someone else's then i think we're missing the whole point of the challenge. it's about interpretation, not whether the picture scares us. in a challenge like this, i think it helps to be just a little (more) objective since, as previously discussed, fear is such a difficult thing to capture--made even more difficult due to the fact that different people fear different things.

There may also have been a different way to shoot a spider to make it look a little scarier.

that being a technical matter, i agree.
[/i]

CreativeFlyPhoto

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

07/08/2002 03:53:57 PM · #19

wasnt the whole point of this challenge to "show and interpretation of Fear" ... so I know i made sure that's what i did ... and expression ... not something that is fearful .. but something that is holding or experiencing fear ..
although some people may have interepreted it differently - and yes we do need to take that into consideration .... then again - while people are voting ... arent you voting on each image indivually? and however that image moves you - FEAR or not ... that's how you should vote on them.