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DPChallenge Forums >> Challenge Results >> Following the topic of a challenge
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Showing posts 1 - 11 of 11, (reverse)
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05/13/2003 08:06:13 PM · #1
I´m sure it´s been discussed in length before but I am wondering about the importance of following the topic of a challenge and how to vote if a picture doesn´t.

I noticed in the Fauna challenge that there was at least one picture that did obviously not have any Fauna in it or was related to the topic in any obvious way. Still, the picture was of reasonable quality but ended up very close to the bottom of the vote with most of its votes being 1.

But how should a picture like this be voted on? Should it get 50% of what it would get if it followed the topic, or 1 without any thinking or be voted on regardless of the topic?

Sometimes it would be nice to be able to skip over a picture and not vote on it, but then we would have the danger of other pictures, that for some reasons are difficult to decide on, would not receive any or very few, votes.
05/13/2003 08:16:03 PM · #2
Every picture will get deserved points and photographers who knowingly post picture out of the subject know the punishment.Chek my PI entry,finished 7 from the bottom because is actualy a Fauna image!
05/13/2003 08:53:25 PM · #3
I do not like telling people how to vote. People should do what they feel is fair.
05/13/2003 09:32:52 PM · #4
Speaking personally, I grade on three axes, mostly. I consider a picture both on how well it fits the topic and how technically good the picture is. For tiebreaking purposes, and final ranking as 7, 8, 9, or 10, I also consider its (completely subjective, to me) beauty.

A picture that to my view does not seem to fit the topic at all will never get higher than a 6, even if it's gorgeous enough to get a perfect 10 from me in some other topic that it DOES fit. A picture that to my view fits the topic well but is technically crappy will get no higher than a 6 either. :-> 7s from me mean 'it fits the topic, and there is nothing blatantly technically wrong with it.' More than that gets higher; less than that gets lower. From me. :->
05/13/2003 09:55:17 PM · #5
for me 5 means average... 4 is below average and 6 is above average.... 3,2, and 1.. well that depends on how bad it is and how far off challenge it is... my favorites get a 7... from there the best of the best are sorted out between 7, 8, 9, and 10.... the difference being technical merit, wow factor, how well the challenge is met, and creativity. a 10 means a photo has no room for improvement and I really like it... usually there are only a few 10's per challenge... if a photo does not meet the challenge it could potnetially draw an instant 1 depending on how far off it is, even if it is a good photo... after all these challenges are something to be met.. if you don't come close to meeting the challenge... whats the point of submitting? another instant 1 can be had if your photo is made up entirely of someone elses work... seems to be a lot of that lately...

Message edited by author 2003-05-13 21:57:28.
05/13/2003 10:09:02 PM · #6
if it doesn't obviously meet the challenge, at least the intention of the photographer (satire, cynicism, humor, etc) should be clear. as you can see in my fauna submission, there is a bifurcation between the '6's and the '4's of people who appreciated the humor and the people ('4' and below) who punished me. i think as a photographer you can't worry about that. In this case, i obviously was aware that the photo would get hit, but that said i'm happy with it.

in general i think that 'fit the challenge' attitude is the biggest problem with this site and i've chosen to totally ignore such comments and hopefully little by little more people will see the light and open up their minds to good photography that is creative and interpretive as well.
05/13/2003 10:52:40 PM · #7
Before I vote a picture down for not meeting the challenge, I give it a lot of thought. Is there some obscure, double meaning, pun, whatever, that makes it meet the challenge? If I say no, I usually will comment that I don't see the challenge and ask for a PM if I'm just being dense. Then depending on my mood that week I'll cut from 3 to 5 points off what i normally would have given it.

That's how I do it...

How should everyone do it?

Any way that makes sense to them. Some folks zap a fast "1" if the challenge isn't right in your face... That's a good way to do it... Some folks ignore the challenge and vote on the photos merit alone... That's a good way to do it.

When voting, the only important thing is to apply whatever method you use evenly and fairly for all photos. (Unless there's a cat in it)
05/14/2003 09:40:56 AM · #8
I agree with tomzinho that it isn’t necessary to fit a challenge to the extreme. Maybe he was stretching it with his Fauna picture, which I found to be very nice alternative from all the "zoo" pictures, but it meet the challenge in my opinion and this site is about meeting challenge’s...

However there was another picture in the challenge that only showed rocks and sand and didn’t give any room for interpretation. There was nothing "fauna" about it, though it wasn’t a bad picture.
05/14/2003 10:13:24 AM · #9
I'm pretty lenient when rating other's images, but I personally try to adhere to most challenges quite stringently. For example with the challenge "Glass" I was careful not to photograph anyone elses art in it's entirety. I look for a creative angle that makes it uniquely my own.
I find it disappointing when pictures are simply straight on shots o an object, with no creativity applied. I don't give a low, low rating for such, but usually a 5, which I consider average, uninspired, boring. Those who take chances, use unusual perspectives, or lighting, or such, rate higher, even if not technically perfect, I rate 6 or 7.
Those pics that really stand out, with an unusal twist, great lighting, technically excellent, and with high appeal will get 8,9, or 10 from me.
05/14/2003 10:18:32 AM · #10
In general, i feel many people here emphasize in their comments on what THEY see is wrong with a picture rather than what's right. Since this is a site where everybody is learning, i focus on what's right with a picture rather than its flaws. I reward originality and creativity. I score lower those type of pictures and imagery that reappear week after week and also score lower blatant imitations of what i call 'recipes' (one person comes up with a creative idea and then that is borrowed by a number of copycats in months to follow). As to not meeting the challenge, i knock off 2 sometimes 3 points for that. Find some people's interpretation of what the challenge entails (most often challenges are loosely worded to leave room for interpretation) rather rigid.
05/14/2003 10:24:36 AM · #11
Originally posted by Journey:

In general, i feel many people here emphasize in their comments on what THEY see is wrong with a picture rather than what's right. Since this is a site where everybody is learning, i focus on what's right with a picture rather than its flaws.


I agree with Journey's take on the direction of comments. If I am saying what is wrong (IMO) with an image I also try to include at least one point about what works. Learning can happen with both but I think there needs to be a balance. If you are pointing out what is good with an image and score < 10 then to improve the image the photographer also needs to know what is perceived as wrong with it. I know this isn't always easy or even possible.
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