Very happy, but kinda confused...

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

02/04/2005 02:54:37 AM · #1

I truly didn't think that my ribbon winner for the Three challenge would score anywhere near as good as it did. I expected to do high 5 low 6 at best. I entered it and went to work and was totally amazed when I saw the scores when I came home (2 hours into the voting period.) I got some fun and interesting comments, but none that truly explain to me (or others that may be trying to get their first ribbon) why it did so well... Please help me and everyone else understand why you like this shot! And please no gushing, just your honest critique...
TC

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

02/04/2005 03:09:34 AM · #2

Alright. I'll tell ya. Here's the image:

Why did I give it a 10?

1. It stands out from the pack. It's immensely "viewable, even the thumbnail is gorgeous. I couldn't wait to open it up and see it bigger.

2. They don't come any more "threeish" than this...

3. The composition is flawless and defiantly non-standard; The structure itself is centered (the base composition is in the symmetrical mode) but the smoke (or steam) trails off gloriously at a wild angle, leading our eyes up and out into the very heavens themselves.

4. The colors are breathtaking without being overworked like so much of what we see in DPC. The image is NOT eye candy; it's strong and powerful, and the subdued pallette combined with the luminous smoke suits it perfectly.

5. The occlusion of the tree branches on the right is inspired; were they not there, the image would have much less depth and sense of place.

6. The clouds begind the structure (yet none in the sky itself) are extraordinarily mysterioso.

7. The pure gradation of luminous blue to near black at the top is powerfully rendered.

8. Overall, the exposure is flawless, nothing is blown out that matters; this is an extraordinary technical problem well-solved.

9. As an aside, this is one of the few "framed" challenge entries I have seen where the frame makes an actual contribution to the image itself; the blue inline is exactly right here.

There ya go; recipe for a 10 in my book. I had this one pegged as a winner as soon as I saw the thumbnail.

You done good!

Robt.

grahamp

Nikon D70

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6

02/04/2005 03:10:37 AM · #3

Hi guess the words Dramatic and Different are the 2 outstanding features. I don't get to vote.. since downloading the hundreds of pictures is rathger expensive for us in this part of the world... so I miss the detail... therfore emphasising the impact of the thumbnail..

Well done! I have appreciated your coimments in the past. Thanks

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

02/04/2005 03:13:26 AM · #4

Originally posted by bear_music:

Here's the image:

Oops, kinda forgot that part! Thank you for the very indepth critique!

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

02/04/2005 03:57:46 AM · #5

Feels odd to be defending praise, but ... It isn't made any easier by following bear music's cogent and elegantly stated analysis.
Did this meet the challenge? Pretty clearly so
Is it well presented? It has a surreal luminous quality, but on close inspection you can see that al the components are belivable and interesting. No weird editing artifacts, just rich tones and dynamic framing. My surprise isn't that this placed so high, but that it didn't get the blue

samtrundle

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

02/04/2005 04:42:05 AM · #6

I gave it an eight, it wasn't my favourite of the challenge - but where it does well in my book is that it was an original take - there was nothing else like it and those smoke plumes are gorgeous, as bear_music notes, that thumbnail is stunning - you expect to be handing out a high score even before you open it, and it was certainly technically well done.

I know this isn't the subject of the thread - but I said it wasn't quite one of my favourites so I'll say why. Firstly, the branches, while not really avoidable are a bit of a distraction for me, and secondly, the building itself looks a little artificial, almost like a cardboard cutout.

So those are my thoughts. The final thought (and most important) I have is congratulations on the ribbon!

jpochard

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

02/04/2005 04:53:54 AM · #7

I didn't vote on this one, but I probably would have given it an 8. Why? Simply stated, it's a very well done photograph with many interesting features (as noted in more detail in the other posts.) Although well done, and somewhat interesting, the reason it would not get a "10" from me is that, for me, it really didn't have a whole lot of impact with the subject. Congratulations on your ribbon and a very nice shot!

coolhar

Canon PowerShot Pro 90 IS

02/04/2005 10:47:53 AM · #8

TooCool, trying to be as honest as I can and not sugarcoat it-- when I first saw it my frist thought was to take a little more time to look at it. Some shots you know almost instantly you aren't going to vote them very high. I decided that I really liked it, not so much for technical supreiority but for gut reaction. Then I thought more, and said to myself that this is the kind of shot that dpc voters will score high, and it's much more toward the real photograph end of the spectrum than the digital art end. I voted it among my highest for the challenge and hoped it would finish near the top, guessing top ten. I was very pleased when it copped a ribbon because the voters agreed with my judgement on it, and that doesn't happen all the time for me.

I am happy that you got a ribbon (long overdue IMHO), and happy that the dpc voters bestowed their approval where I thought it belonged.

rscorp

Nikon D70

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

02/04/2005 10:58:41 AM · #9

What I liked about it was the motion in the steam. It looks like it's coming from the back of a jet, as if the stacks are in motion but obviously they are fixed to the ground. Normall wind blows smoke or steam all over the place, but this was such a smooth, controlled effect. Different. Plus the color of course.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

02/04/2005 10:31:26 PM · #10

Thank you all for the input. It's a lot to absorb. Hard to believe that there was so much thought put into my shot by others. Now if I can only incorporate all this into more shots...

banmorn

Nikon D750

02/04/2005 10:53:04 PM · #11

TC, the composition of the steam and the pipes are great in this and the details like the red lights on the pipes are super.It is finely shot and very different. I think what I really liked best was the steam. It is very striking in the image. I gave it a 9. I only had one nit, I would done some perspective correction on the pipes. But that is probably just me shooting so much architecture as I do. I think this would make a great abstract, too, with just the steam and the pipes and the more steam the better. But the abstract would not nearly done as well, I think, as your excellent image did in this challenge.

Congrats again! RoB

Message edited by author 2005-02-04 22:54:25.

DannyM

Nikon D90

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

02/07/2005 01:40:27 PM · #12

I can't state it any better than Bear Music did.
I just registered at this site and your photo was the first one I clicked on. I couldn't wait to have a closer look. It's original. It draws you in. Well done.

hopper

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM

02/07/2005 01:49:12 PM · #13

wierd isn't it? you just never can tell what's going to happen. could be taken as a strong arguement for entering as many challenges as possible ... you can't win if you don't play :)

side note, and because you asked ... i gave you a 6 (which is about what you predicted for yourself). i thought it was technically well done and the smoke/steam was cool, but it's mostly just a shot of a factory hvac system ... not hugely interesting, but still, not bad by any stretch.

obviously, others thought the subject was a bit more interesting than i did ... great for you!