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07/08/2010 12:29:52 PM · #1 |
| I've noticed that on this site, and many other photography contest sites, that photos are seemingly starting to be judged less for their artistic merit and more simply for the beauty of the scenery. An already beautiful scene takes little to no talent to capture in a captivating way. I believe that true photographic talent shows when you take a photo that makes you think, or taking something that isn't normally beautiful and making it as such, rather than simply taking a photo of an already beautiful landscape. |
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07/08/2010 12:44:01 PM · #2 |
Don't know about the other websites. But DPC sure (generally) represents the 'masses'. There has to be an 'awe' factor. That 'X' effect. And there's nothing wrong with that. You can still learn a lot of things that you otherwise won't doing things alone, and approach specific photographers, whose work you like, for guidance.
Personally I think of DPC as the Oscars of photography, even though my personal taste is of independent off beat Art;-)
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 12:51:06. |
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07/08/2010 12:47:02 PM · #3 |
| Alas. Lately very disappointing. |
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07/08/2010 12:51:02 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by VivaLaAlexander:
I've noticed that on this site, and many other photography contest sites, that photos are seemingly starting to be judged less for their artistic merit and more simply for the beauty of the scenery. An already beautiful scene takes little to no talent to capture in a captivating way. I believe that true photographic talent shows when you take a photo that makes you think, or taking something that isn't normally beautiful and making it as such, rather than simply taking a photo of an already beautiful landscape. |
And that is exactly why we have the posthumous awards. They generally showcase entries that are creative but didn't make the front page.
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 12:51:56. |
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07/08/2010 12:52:20 PM · #5 |
Time to quote from The Unauthorized Beginner's Guide to DPC, originally posted in April 2006. Here is paragraph 17 in full.
Originally posted by rox_rox:
17. DPC voters are a bunch of robots who always vote for the same kind of images. No one has been able to effectively define these images, but rest assured they are not the kind you are inclined to submit. Feel free to start a thread entitled “What did I do wrong?” or “Why did this score so low?”. You will get a variety of responses; most of which will tactfully explain why your image sucks and at least one of which will rudely explain why your image sucks. On a good day, you might get one from someone who believes that you are a true, albeit misunderstood, artist. Or you can save yourself some time by reading past threads on this subject and studying the previous ribbon winners to learn what makes a well received DPC photograph. |
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07/08/2010 12:54:24 PM · #6 |
I think I agree with ye.
And I think I'm guilty of voting that way too, though I think I'm getting better at it... or worse at it... the good one anyway :)
I was PMing someone before who said that people probably have a tendency to vote too quickly. It's quick and easy to see the wow in pictures. The subtleties of great composure, and artistic merit will normally take longer to notice, and might be missed by a quick 5/6.
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07/08/2010 01:14:13 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by NiallOTuama:
I think I agree with ye.
And I think I'm guilty of voting that way too, though I think I'm getting better at it... or worse at it... the good one anyway :)
I was PMing someone before who said that people probably have a tendency to vote too quickly. It's quick and easy to see the wow in pictures. The subtleties of great composure, and artistic merit will normally take longer to notice, and might be missed by a quick 5/6. |
Define great composure as it relates to photography.......8>)
I'm not sure I agree with your statement of subtleties of what I'm assuming you mean great composition & artistic merit. If it's great composition, and has artistic merit, is it subtle? Is wow factor a bad thing? Is what wows you the same thing that will wow me? Who determines artistic merit? Personally, I hear a whole lot of griping about the quality of the images being so lowbrow and not artistic, yet anyone who says that artistic merit can be defined prolly has a screw loose. It's decidedly subjective. What's beautiful to you may be pretty mundane to me and what I see as great beauty may be atrocious by your standards.....and that woman over there? She thinks we're both nuts.
Yes, there are certain standards of composition and things that are generally considered to have artistic merit in all aspects of photography like the application of light, from there the door is wide open to, and for, interpretation. One of the things that I've noticed over time here is the way that styles and techniques ebb, flow, and in some cases disappear entirely. There is certainly less of a tendency toward the impressionistic style than we used to see, auroras aren't so common, and the water drop shot seems for the most part to be universally denigrated which is a little bit of a shame considering how hard it is for some of us to emulate.
Just my $0.02 US.......YMMV!
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07/08/2010 01:20:55 PM · #8 |
All I was saying was that I tend to vote quickly, and as a result miss merits of a photo that might, perhaps, warrant more than I gave it.
Ever listen to an album that you didn't appreciate until the second or third listen or so?
>> It's decidedly subjective.
Absolutely.
I wonder if I'd vote the same way for two identical competitions two days in a row.
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 13:22:45.
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07/08/2010 01:30:40 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by VivaLaAlexander:
An already beautiful scene takes little to no talent to capture in a captivating way. |
In the same way, taking a great picture of a beautiful model takes no talent at all...
How about a little challenge. I can't tell where you live on your profile, but if you let us know we can try to find a beautiful location close by. You shoot it for a challenge and it should be easy to score your first 6.5+ image, right? :D
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 13:33:17. |
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07/08/2010 01:41:09 PM · #10 |
Actually, I think it's happening less than it was a year ago. When I first started, the free study winners were almost always gorgeous landscapes (many times Icelandic :). That doesn't seem to be the usual now.
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07/08/2010 01:41:54 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by VivaLaAlexander:
I've noticed that on this site, and many other photography contest sites, that photos are seemingly starting to be judged less for their artistic merit and more simply for the beauty of the scenery. An already beautiful scene takes little to no talent to capture in a captivating way. I believe that true photographic talent shows when you take a photo that makes you think, or taking something that isn't normally beautiful and making it as such, rather than simply taking a photo of an already beautiful landscape. |
What I notice most, is this type of thread making the rounds every six months or so.
My personal theory, outside of all the conspiracy theories that float around here, is that if your image makes a good looking thumbnail you are likely to score higher. A lot of people do not vote all the images, and do not necessarily vote in order. So if you have a clean, attractive thumbnail image, I believe it tends to attract the voters. If your image is complex, and does not send a clear message as a thumbnail, then I think your chances are lower of getting a high score. I think the thumbnail image also sets the viewers mind in motion. Pleasing thumbnail and they are more open to a positive view of your image. Thumbnail image that is not pleasing seems more likely to put barriers up in the viewers mind, before they even look at your photo. Perhaps we should do away with the thumbnail images for competitions so that people don't "shop" via thumbnail. |
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07/08/2010 01:43:23 PM · #12 |
I would agree on the subjective portion - I know there are things that I find attractive in an image that others may not even see them. While cameras take an image that is accurate to what is there, the photograph also has intent and the post processing involved to enhance it.
Personally, I always review my votes at least 2 or three times during the voting period - frequently I bump them up because of something I didn't see or feel the first time.
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07/08/2010 02:15:19 PM · #13 |
| DPC challenges are won on mass appeal. If an image is in the 4's and low 5's, it is competing mostly on whether you succeeded in capturing a good photo. As you climb higher in the score rankings, the contest becomes more about mass appeal the higher you go. The winners are the ones for which the most people agreed that the entry was at least good, and very few thought it was poor. It is important to look at more than the average score when reviewing your performance. |
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07/08/2010 02:19:26 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:
DPC challenges are won on mass appeal. If an image is in the 4's and low 5's, it is competing mostly on whether you succeeded in capturing a good photo. As you climb higher in the score rankings, the contest becomes more about mass appeal the higher you go. The winners are the ones for which the most people agreed that the entry was at least good, and very few thought it was poor. It is important to look at more than the average score when reviewing your performance. |
Very well said!
I would dance for 'favs' if DPC voters didnt know this yet;-) |
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07/08/2010 02:54:35 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by ambaker:
Perhaps we should do away with the thumbnail images for competitions so that people don't "shop" via thumbnail. |
Now there's a serious pearl of a thought!!!
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07/08/2010 03:09:08 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
Originally posted by ambaker:
Perhaps we should do away with the thumbnail images for competitions so that people don't "shop" via thumbnail. |
Now there's a serious pearl of a thought!!! |
agreed! should level the playing field for more complex images which only transpire at full resolution and not in a thumb. A great suggestion, and very easy to implement! ...with a small modification: thumbs for images already voted on should show, so one can easily go back to the ones he or she wants to revisit. |
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07/08/2010 03:49:50 PM · #17 |
Part of the art of photography is going out and finding the beautiful image. The next step is to capture that image in a manner that is captivating to the audience.
Most of us have to go out and seek these places out. We find the perfect weather and the best time of day in regards to lighting. This is just as important as setting up your camera properly to capture the picture.
What gets me is when someone tries to post a beautiful scene that is in no way related to the challenge at hand. I always rate those as a 1 for not following the concept of the challenge.
Recently I spoke to one of the judges at the county fair. He said that he constantly gets asked why pictures are not chosen to be part of the competition. His response is usually that the picture just didn't have any wow factor.
This concept applies just as well to when you are trying to sell your work. A buyer expects you to have the technical skills to take a picture. He / she buys the picture if he / she says "WOW".
I submit here because it challenges me to try different things. Sometimes a person comments on a way to improve, for which I am grateful. Lets face it though, a ribbon and $4.00 will get you coffee at Starbucks. I'm not here for a ribbon, I'm here to improve myself. (Don't get me wrong though, I'll be doing back flips if I ever get a ribbon)
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 15:51:30. |
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07/08/2010 04:01:58 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by DrAchoo:
Originally posted by VivaLaAlexander:
An already beautiful scene takes little to no talent to capture in a captivating way. |
In the same way, taking a great picture of a beautiful model takes no talent at all... |
Only the most beautiful models will win a ribbon:
 .... secksay!... 
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 16:13:32. |
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07/08/2010 04:13:37 PM · #19 |
I have been here goinig on 4 years now and from day 1 i have seen posts talking about how the ribbon winners "just aren't what they used to be"
man, i sure wish i was here for that renaissance period of time before 2006! And no offense intended to the OP, but i dont usually see a ribbon winner being the one complaining about it.
Message edited by author 2010-07-08 16:14:22. |
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07/08/2010 04:39:14 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by smardaz:
I have been here goinig on 4 years now and from day 1 i have seen posts talking about how the ribbon winners "just aren't what they used to be"
man, i sure wish i was here for that renaissance period of time before 2006! And no offense intended to the OP, but i dont usually see a ribbon winner being the one complaining about it. |
I've been here since 2002, must have been before then... ;-) |
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07/08/2010 06:23:58 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by LevT:
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
Originally posted by ambaker:
Perhaps we should do away with the thumbnail images for competitions so that people don't "shop" via thumbnail. |
Now there's a serious pearl of a thought!!! |
agreed! should level the playing field for more complex images which only transpire at full resolution and not in a thumb. A great suggestion, and very easy to implement! ...with a small modification: thumbs for images already voted on should show, so one can easily go back to the ones he or she wants to revisit. |
Well I guess I'm the only one who uses the thumbnail page to look for the more complex images... |
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