Consequences of Conformity - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 ED Zuiko Digital Zoom

02/09/2007 02:12:52 AM · #1

The other day I stumbled upon this article in Photolife magazine which I feel really pertains to the dpc community. Thought I might post the premise of the article here and see what other dpc�ers thought about it.

�Camera clubs and other photography groups can offer many positive benefits for it�s members. The most valuable include the sharing of ideas and new work, and social interaction with fellow photographers who share a similar passion for the medium. However, the problem begins when competition turns into the central focus of the group, and rules and formulas begin to interfere with free creative expression. The very nature of groups like this tends to stifle creativity, for the competition that it fosters establishes one of the biggest creative clocks: the fear of making a mistake.� � Richard Martin (Photolife Vol 32 N1 January 2007)

craigester

Olympus E-400

02/09/2007 02:19:36 AM · #2

Things like the hatred of grain at DPC bear this out. I was looking at a book of ballet photos the other day and it was full of very grainy shots. These would perhaps not reach a 5 here.

But then again, if you make a "mistake", just enjoy it with your friends or post it in your portfolio, but don't post it as a challenge entry on DPC.

crayon

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH1

02/09/2007 02:23:13 AM · #3

this applies to all communities, wont you agree?
you live among morons, you play by their rules to get along.
you live with angels, you play by their rules too, to get along.

you want a good score in DPC, you play along with the voter's interest.
but from time to time, comes along a member who are good with certain unique style, and the style then catches on - and we all learn.

Camabs

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 35mm f/2.0

02/09/2007 02:28:18 AM · #4

Waht you are basically saying is that community voting punishes those who stand out. However, if the community is large enough, it will certainly have some members that stand out and make excellent pictures. They will break the mechanism you describe.

02/09/2007 02:29:46 AM · #5

I find the topic of creativity on DPC usually ends up taking a backseat to technical accomplishment. The other day I showed off a few shots that I am considering for a photography show to a painter friend of mine ... she ended up choosing almost all of the shots that I thought were weak technically (and consequently weak photos in my mind) however she as an "artist" was not looking for technically good photos but rather ones that had a "feeling" or told a story.

I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that I find that many of the photo's that win challenges really have no feeling to them ... although I (and obviously many others) find them pretty to look at.

02/09/2007 02:32:57 AM · #6

Originally posted by mark_u_U:

I think what Richard is trying to say is that a community like DPC doesn't punish those who stand out but rather stifles ones creativity in order to win approval and avoid failure.

Message edited by author 2007-02-09 02:34:55.