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06/09/2008 01:46:32 PM · #1
I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?

Message edited by author 2008-06-09 13:47:47.
06/09/2008 01:50:04 PM · #2
I think this is an awesome shot, but PP what killed it. I would think a bit more clarity and contrast should push this one up toe first 10 :)
06/09/2008 01:51:46 PM · #3
I think the greens come off a bit too, well, green as if it a bit oversaturated. At least that is my first impression looking at the shot - i didn't get to vote in the FS this month. I agree that it is a wow type waterfall shot and the foreground barn provides an important reference point for the size and majesty of the shot.

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?
06/09/2008 01:55:00 PM · #4
Maybe... something like this?
06/09/2008 02:00:45 PM · #5
Welcome to my world, Doc.
06/09/2008 02:18:36 PM · #6
Thanks for the props Jason!

A note on the PP, the scenehad a lot of glare. The sun is just out of the frome to the left.

I was trying to retain a bit of the actual feel of the scene by leaving some of the glare in the shot. The way the mist is reflecting the light was something I didn't want to lose, blown highlights and all.

While the processing mostly represents what I saw and what I tried to convey, I understand the feeling that the blacks weren't deep enough, but then, they weren't in real life either.

I had several others to choose from for the FS taken on the Norway Fjord weekend. Here are a few

[thumb]682318[/thumb]

Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?
06/09/2008 03:45:54 PM · #7
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?


"How is this only a 6.0?" - hey enough of that wild talk !!

I think you'll find I was the only person to get a 6 in the entire Free Study . . it's mine I tell you mine . . Little Billy worked his paws off for that score and I won't have it taken off him by some high flying dude on a 6.0318 !


06/09/2008 03:47:44 PM · #8
Originally posted by Jedusi:

hey enough of that wild talk !!

I think you'll find I was the only person to get a 6 in the entire Free Study . . it's mine I tell you mine ...


Sorry to blow your story, but Judi tied you with a 6.0000....
06/09/2008 03:52:31 PM · #9
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?


I think that the sky is so strong that it draws the eye and the rest of the image suffers as as result. I would crop the sky, even if it means leaving out the top of the waterfall.
06/09/2008 03:56:25 PM · #10
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?


I didnt see this until now but I can tell you it is because of the washed out effect around the trees, it is well framed and a beautiful image but the colors seem washed out on the moutian trees and just makes it that much short of perfection. had it been a little crisper and more vivid there I think it would have done much better
06/09/2008 04:02:59 PM · #11
Originally posted by bassbone:

Originally posted by Jedusi:

hey enough of that wild talk !!

I think you'll find I was the only person to get a 6 in the entire Free Study . . it's mine I tell you mine ...


Sorry to blow your story, but Judi tied you with a 6.0000....


By Jove Sir - he's right !

I never noticed that . .

ok let me restate my case . .

Judi and myself are the only people to have got a 6 in that challenge . . meh . . whatever . .

I'm very happy to share the 6 with Judi and yes it's a very attractive waterfall.
06/09/2008 10:03:02 PM · #12
The problem with the photo is that the photographer tried to make it look like the scene that he saw. The water wasn't time blurred enough, the shadows look like shadows, there is no overdone filters, overdone neat image. It's just a beautiful, well composed scene.
Seriously though, look at the top 50. Are most of these photographs or digital art? They are beautiful, but more fantasy than reality.
When did this site turn away from photography?
06/09/2008 10:14:55 PM · #13
Originally posted by cloudsme:

The problem with the photo is that the photographer tried to make it look like the scene that he saw. The water wasn't time blurred enough, the shadows look like shadows, there is no overdone filters, overdone neat image. It's just a beautiful, well composed scene.
Seriously though, look at the top 50. Are most of these photographs or digital art? They are beautiful, but more fantasy than reality.
When did this site turn away from photography?


Excellent observation and unfortunately true. I've found my landscapes need to be tweaked to the point of ridiculous to catch the attention of the voters while they rifle through the inumerable entries many of these challenges have. Especially free studies. If anything, it emphasizes the need to slow down and "look" at the images before tossing a number at them much like you'd toss a card playing solitaire. I guess its just the way it goes here and if you want to play in this pond, its what you gotta do.
06/09/2008 10:20:09 PM · #14
Originally posted by cloudsme:

The problem with the photo is that the photographer tried to make it look like the scene that he saw. .....


Wow. So I am not the only one troubled by this. Nice to see someone else express the same concern. I would love it if more voting emphasis went into composition, balance, and subject placement than into sharpness, color, and, for lack of a better word, pop.
06/09/2008 10:51:26 PM · #15
I expressed disappointment in the scores thread that this was scoring only 5.8 after a couple days of voting.



Shortly afterwards it climbed up to around 6.13 (my average) and then got faved. So I'm a bit happier but still surprised that nobody took the time to notice that it is not your typical flower shot.

I think that a lot of shots would have scored higher if they were in a smaller challenge where voters have more time to spend per image to notice them more.

edited spelling

Message edited by author 2008-06-09 23:03:14.
06/10/2008 03:02:08 PM · #16
I don't think its top ten material and the sun killed the shot. Atleast you tried to make it somewhat close to what you observed. Thats pretty rare on here
06/10/2008 03:56:32 PM · #17
At the risk of raising an arguement that is as old as photography (and definitely discussed many times here), sometimes altering a picture does capture what you see. The human eye is not capable of freezing water so taking a shot at 1/1000th is no more reality than 1 second. It may be the flowing water is actually closer to what is captured by our mind's eye. I also regularly manipuate the greens in my pictures because to me the green/yellow that shows up in photoshop is nothing like the way I see the mossy greens when I'm walking through the woods on a wet morning.

Just my 0.02. So while this photo definitely qualifies as being manipulated through shutter speed and photoshop, it captures what I saw when I was there. Even the turquoise line in the water, which I sorta wanted to get rid of, does a better job of reflecting the incredible tones that were in the water where the bubbles reflected the moss and sky above.



Message edited by author 2008-06-10 15:56:55.
06/10/2008 04:29:34 PM · #18
Originally posted by DrAchoo:



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?


Well, MY take on it, for what it's worth:

I'm in sympathy with those who commented that by capturing "what was there" Scarbird lost his chance at a ribbon vs. over manipulating for artificial wow. There's probably some truth in that. And, perhaps better than most of us, I understand how ferociously difficult it is to deal with that lighting situation.

But when all is said and done, is the image itself, in its potentially manipulated form, likely to score much better? It's a beautiful scene, but can it be "improved" without sacrificing the subtlety of the lighting? Enough to get a ribbon? A 6.5?

One thing I notice about it is that, completely apart from the elsewhere-mentioned "flatness" of the lighting in the trees, is that the whole image is flat top to bottom and side to side, it's just VERY even. I deduce this is what Doc was referring to when he mentions edge burning. And, as others have mentioned, that strip of Kodachrome sky is like dominating the image, it's so in-your-face. It's pulling the eye up and out, where you want it flowing down and in.

So I had a little noodle with it, nothing extreme. I created a multiply layer and laid down some black-to-transparent gradients all 4 edges, then backed way off on all but the foreground one so they are less aggressive. I selected the sky and did a hue/sat to make it a little less chromey. And I merged all that into a dupe BG layer, duped THAT, and had a toss with a combination of shadow/highlight and a brightness/contrast adjustment layer above to add a smidge of pop in the mid tones while still trying to hang onto the overall lumionsity.

Is this "better"? I think it is, a little bit, while still faithful to scarbird's vision; for example, I didn't play with his violent greens at all :-) Do you agree? Disagree?



R.


06/10/2008 04:36:36 PM · #19
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

I had a sneak peak to this shot so didn't vote, but I'm quite surprised at the results for this shot by scarbrd. I had figured it was a shoe in for a Top 10.



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?


dang, I'm with you Jason, that should have been upper 6's at least.
06/10/2008 04:59:54 PM · #20
I'm going to take this opportunity to complain about my own shot... Mephisto has my back, though!



5.2? Really??
06/10/2008 05:02:51 PM · #21
Originally posted by option:

I'm going to take this opportunity to complain about my own shot... Mephisto has my back, though!



5.2? Really??


I don't think that's so far off, myself. This is an overwhelming, powerful scene and it has been rendered so flat and lifeless it's almost disturbing... There HAS to have been more potential here, processing-wise, surely?

R.
06/10/2008 05:04:06 PM · #22
I think once more I am disagreeing with Achoo about this photo.

DPC rules to get good place

1-eye candy
2-very sharp
3-very clear
4-very clean

a perfect sample



DPC voting rules don't include (or include in somewhere rule #259) that image can be taken in very difficult situation, with big affords, and very interesting subjects, unless if the challenge subject set for those rules(!)

Again, it's an awesome photo but not clear, sharp, clean... etc.
I am surprised you actually didn't know that Dr. :O
06/10/2008 05:08:48 PM · #23
never mind

Message edited by author 2008-06-10 18:53:18.
06/10/2008 05:09:02 PM · #24
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by DrAchoo:



My personal impression is that it is a waterfall with definite "wow". The composition also has the unusual strength of having a subject at the end of the fall's leading line. The colors are crisp and clean (although I would have burned the edges more heavily). How is this only a 6.0?


Well, MY take on it, for what it's worth:

I'm in sympathy with those who commented that by capturing "what was there" Scarbird lost his chance at a ribbon vs. over manipulating for artificial wow. There's probably some truth in that. And, perhaps better than most of us, I understand how ferociously difficult it is to deal with that lighting situation.

But when all is said and done, is the image itself, in its potentially manipulated form, likely to score much better? It's a beautiful scene, but can it be "improved" without sacrificing the subtlety of the lighting? Enough to get a ribbon? A 6.5?

One thing I notice about it is that, completely apart from the elsewhere-mentioned "flatness" of the lighting in the trees, is that the whole image is flat top to bottom and side to side, it's just VERY even. I deduce this is what Doc was referring to when he mentions edge burning. And, as others have mentioned, that strip of Kodachrome sky is like dominating the image, it's so in-your-face. It's pulling the eye up and out, where you want it flowing down and in.

So I had a little noodle with it, nothing extreme. I created a multiply layer and laid down some black-to-transparent gradients all 4 edges, then backed way off on all but the foreground one so they are less aggressive. I selected the sky and did a hue/sat to make it a little less chromey. And I merged all that into a dupe BG layer, duped THAT, and had a toss with a combination of shadow/highlight and a brightness/contrast adjustment layer above to add a smidge of pop in the mid tones while still trying to hang onto the overall lumionsity.

Is this "better"? I think it is, a little bit, while still faithful to scarbird's vision; for example, I didn't play with his violent greens at all :-) Do you agree? Disagree?



R.


Thanks Bear, I appreciate the comments. My take is this one would have been marked down for the same reasons. The upper half is kind of washed out, as it was in mine.

Where I failed was in trying to convey the glare of the brightly lit scene and still have a vialble DPCish image.

I wanted the sense that you needed to put on your sunglasses when viewing this, as it was in real life. Hard to do, for me anyway. I could have played with the curves and deepened the blacks, but when I did, it lost something to my eyes.

Message edited by author 2008-06-10 17:38:12.
06/10/2008 05:09:30 PM · #25
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by option:

I'm going to take this opportunity to complain about my own shot... Mephisto has my back, though!



5.2? Really??


I don't think that's so far off, myself. This is an overwhelming, powerful scene and it has been rendered so flat and lifeless it's almost disturbing... There HAS to have been more potential here, processing-wise, surely?

R.


Could you elaborate on the flat and lifeless part? Personally, I thought the processing was fairly well done: the sky pops, good contrast in the snow / debris... the figures stand out well. My biggest concern is that shown as a portrait, you can't see all of the avalanche crown.
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