DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 

DPChallenge Forums >> Challenge Results >> What makes a photo a "7+" ?
Pages:  
Showing posts 1 - 25 of 62, (reverse)
AuthorThread
02/15/2006 11:00:02 PM · #1
I would like to start a discussion about what makes those photos that get a 7+ score that fantastic, different. artistic or whatever. What is the secret to good photography? What are the secrets to scoring high on DPC?
To start us off: Please dissect this most recent winner.

Please be professional and constructive. Let's all learn something here.
--jrjr
02/15/2006 11:02:00 PM · #2
Now if I knew the answer to that question .....

Brett
02/15/2006 11:07:53 PM · #3
I'm not sure why that one scored as well as it did. It has what I perceive to be several technical issues like the banding (oversharpening?) around the wreck. It does have a great color pallete and composition.

I think the key to many 7+ shots is simplicity...
02/15/2006 11:08:04 PM · #4
This ought to be good...

(watches while his picture is picked apart.)

I'll refrain from saying anything until others have spoken their mind. Don't worry, I'm a big boy. You can rip into that haloing all you want...
02/15/2006 11:08:39 PM · #5
7 > an outstanding photograph fit for both study and pleasure, while allowing for minor technical shortcomings, an accomplished imitation of a mode of seeing or rendering drawn or alluding to another medium including enduring snapshots or candids of remarkable human interest

8 > same as 7, but one that stimulates awareness and taxes the senses, technically accomplished, with near-imperceptible flaws, if not entirely flawless; clearly 'inventive' photographs pointing a little known interest, direction or delight

9 > same as 8, technically without a fault, but a photo which commotes 'perceived' reality to the point of restlessness and action

10 > an enduring photo that challenges the order of gods and the world, one holding its own alongside any other.
02/15/2006 11:08:40 PM · #6
More people liked it, than didn't like it ... LOL.

It has something I have yet to master called mass appeal.

Nice composition, nice lighting, cool texture on the water. Add a bit of more dramatic cloud formations, you might be asking what makes an 8.
02/15/2006 11:10:13 PM · #7
Originally posted by KiwiPix:

Now if I knew the answer to that question .....

Brett


Hey you must know more than most... you have gotten a 6.9+. Please talk about the technical aspects of the posted photo or post one of your choosing for discussion.
--jrjr
02/15/2006 11:10:42 PM · #8
i think the composition is strong as it kind of follows the rules of thirds. no centering of the main subject adds to the overall composition. there is a subtle motion blur on the waves. this says to me that the photographer predetermined the manual settings, knowing the end result. the exposure is balance throughout the shot, no shadows without detail or no blown out areas of over exposure.

the sunrise with the cloud detail adds to the overall shot.
jude
02/15/2006 11:14:58 PM · #9
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

This ought to be good...

(watches while his picture is picked apart.)

I'll refrain from saying anything until others have spoken their mind. Don't worry, I'm a big boy. You can rip into that haloing all you want...


Doc, it's a great shot. I would love to see it at print size!

This is not the first time I've seen a shot with that issue on the front page. It just seems as technical as many voters seem to be here that it's a little surprising. Photographers tend to be the worst critiquers because they tend to hold the technical above all else! To see flaws on the home page means the photographer some how overcame the flaws with the overall impact...

PS: What ARE the white spots towards the top just right of the clouds? Birds? Stars? Just curious...
02/15/2006 11:15:23 PM · #10
That is a tough question.

Some photographers have a way of looking at things that fits here. They are willing to change and learn and work hard.

DrAchoo is a good example. He is relatively new here but he is smart, learns fast and his approach to photography..as in this photo...is clean, accessable, intelligent.

Clean..meaning not a lot of funky processing and what is supposed to be the subject gets good treatment.

Accessable..meaning his photos are comtemporary, what voters like to see and don't demand voters to make leaps to see the quality.

Intelligent...Voters who may pride themselves on knowing what good photos should look like see the attention to detail.

Plus vibrant colors, rich blacks and clear whites, tack sharp details and an interesting composition.

The trick...be dilligent enough to stick to it cause it takes work to pull it together and many people (me included often) are often lazy, stubborn about an idea or think they can "Change the world"

.......:-D

Message edited by author 2006-02-15 23:18:18.
02/15/2006 11:15:34 PM · #11
Originally posted by DrAchoo:

This ought to be good...

(watches while his picture is picked apart.)

I'll refrain from saying anything until others have spoken their mind. Don't worry, I'm a big boy. You can rip into that haloing all you want...
Hey don't get defensive. This hopefully is going to be a very frank and honest exchange. You are a very talented and accomplished member of this site- which is why I thought that your entry would be a good place to start. Frankly to me, this was not one of your best. But I also will wait to hear what others have to say so as not to bias the thread that I started.
--jrjr
02/15/2006 11:16:54 PM · #12

It has everything you would would want to put on your wall....Wonderful photo, dynamic, colorful and interesting.

Message edited by author 2006-02-15 23:38:30.
02/15/2006 11:21:05 PM · #13
don't worry jrjr, I'm cool. I wasn't defensive at all, just trying a little humor. I don't mind critique of my photos at all. I'm my harshest critic and don't "fall in love" with many of my pictures because I see every little flaw. (Although in this case the halo was totally missed by me (again I think it was the resolution of my screen). Had I seen that, I would have reprocessed the whole image over.)

Give me a minute or two, I'll write a little more about what was going through my mind with this shot...
02/15/2006 11:27:01 PM · #14
For the average to be above 7 it's also important to avoid the low-scoring votes. No matter how technically sound the image some people will slaughter you for other aspects. In short - try not to give anyone an excuse for scoring you 1, 2 or 3. This means: clearly meet the challenge (so that even the literal-minded get it); avoid contenseous subject-matter (cheese), and avoid cliches (they get punished too).

Then start looking at doing the good well....
02/15/2006 11:34:19 PM · #15
to get a 7+ the photo has to be techinically correct (exposure, focus, etc.) it also has to have those little "rules" in them (rule of thirds, shape, lines, etc.) and just simply be pleasing. this photo for example has that interesting shape to begin with. an aestetic scenic around it. the colors and sharpness allow it to grow onto you. the flaws are discarded as we all understand them (even though we destroy ourselves with them). i just wish i knew how to incorporate all the rules in the photos i take. still learning
02/15/2006 11:40:16 PM · #16
To me, a seven is reaching into the next step of emotion, storytelling.

A five would be average, eqauling in all elements the basic fundamentals, but has reached to the basic level of emotion as well.

A seven is the beginings of a story, where as a ten would be the full novel from begining to end.

Now granted, a story may not be seen by all, and equally, interpreted in many ways.

But that is the point. When a piece gives out an emotional blow to the viewer that leads to fractional thinking. Differant views of a piece creates scholarship and controversy.

A seven in other words, to me, is the beginings of greatness.

Message edited by author 2006-02-15 23:41:19.
02/15/2006 11:42:46 PM · #17
Preplanning: With any of my pictures that do well, I do a lot of preplanning. I have a visual idea in my head of what I want the shot to look like and I then work out all the details that need to fall into place to make the shot work. In this case, because this was two hours from my house, I needed to know when the sunrise was, where the sun would be rising, what the tide was doing, and how I would get there. All that was planned using the internet. Obviously I could not control these things, but I knew what I would encounter before I got there so I could spend all my time shooting.

Composition: I knew I wanted a slow shutter speed because I just really love that effect. I personally think pictures do very well which can do two things at once: 1) they capture the world in a realistic way and 2) at the same time capture it in a way that you don't normally see. Our eyes do not normally get to enjoy the foggy pattern waves leave on a time exposure, but we still recognize the shot as being part of the real world.

I also think this picture did well because it fits the challenge dead on (as inside the box as you can get) BUT is interesting in that it's something you don't see every day. We love pictures of unfamiliar places and things.

I shot a whole gig of pictures over about two hours with different shutter speeds and different angles. I wanted to accomplish a few things with the composition. I wanted a rule of thirds. I got lucky with the extra pieces because they provide counterbalance to the bulk of the ship. I also wanted an angle which allowed the wreckage to still look like the bow of a ship. Other angles made it look less recognizable; and while they allowed more of the interesting clouds in the frame, the tradeoff wasn't worth it.

Technically, early morning was a must because it allowed better light. I chose sunrise instead of sunset because I wanted the sun behind me to allow detail of the rust (which seemed to lend more to the "broken" aspect). Here is a sunset shot by zoomdak which has a totally different feel:



The other reason I had to shoot either at sunrise or sunset was the shutter speed I required (2 second). I only have a total of 4-stops of ND filter (2-stop filter with a 2-stop polarizer). I used both. The polarizer is key for both water shots as well as sky with thin clouds like this. It just makes a huge difference.

Post: I won't go into post processing as much as it was fairly straightforward with basic. You can look at the print version and see it isn't that much different. Even with advanced editing allowed, there wasn't much to change. I tried to bring the details and color of the ship out a little more.

Ultimately there must be something about the Oregon scenery. I don't think it's an accident that my four highest rated pictures are all landscapes of Oregon.

Message edited by author 2006-02-15 23:44:56.
02/15/2006 11:46:30 PM · #18
I think to be a 7+ a photo has to be technically correct and interesting to look at...in some cases for me out side the box photographers will almost always get a 10, because most people don't think that way. I actually get punished, scoring wise, for thinking outside the box...but that's ok...at least some others do appreciate it. I almost always vote higher than a 5...so just remember that!!! :)
02/15/2006 11:57:38 PM · #19
Dissecting this photograph (what made it score <7)
1. The subject is more powerful than any other element in the shot. He keep the waves flat around the boat and the colors subtle. Unlike two of the outtakes where the waves are breaking on the boat and the birds in the foreground which would of been distracting.
2. A good title
3. Border that did not overwhelm the photograph.
4. Used lighting as elements to capture attention such as the light through the boat hull is not to dark or to light. Letting shadows play a good part in the image.
5. Subject has texture while the rest of the shot has a smooth feel, separating the two.
6. Taken at the right time.
7. All of this let use forgive the 5 dust bunny's on the image.
02/16/2006 12:01:11 AM · #20
IMO, on this particular picture, what really works is the balance of the rusted hull lower right, balanced by the cloud mass upper left and the small remnant of the ship lower left.

To answer the question from a more global DPC perspective... This picture definitely within the challenge description. Most pictures that do well have this attribute IMO. Also, the point was made about avoiding the low votes which IMO is key, ergo a 7+ picture usually doesn't prompt a negative response with very many voters. So, less 1-4's.
02/16/2006 12:01:39 AM · #21
Whether or not people want to admit it, the vote that someone casts is in most cases determined by an intial reaction. If the photo initially strikes someone as being excellent, the person is going to rate the photo higher. To score above a seven you need to create photo that has that intial impact.
02/16/2006 12:06:30 AM · #22
Originally posted by tngrndream:

to get a 7+ the photo has to be techinically correct (exposure, focus, etc.) it also has to have those little "rules" in them (rule of thirds, shape, lines, etc.) and just simply be pleasing. this photo for example has that interesting shape to begin with. an aestetic scenic around it. the colors and sharpness allow it to grow onto you.


I wish I could use these points to explain the closest I have ever come to a 7. If I could, I would probably have more in that range! :-P
02/16/2006 12:06:48 AM · #23
I can't comment on that example, because I am blown away sometimes by ones that finish in 22nd place let's say, and not impressed at all by some riboon winners.

That said, I can comment on mine. And my highest four scoring shots, 3 of the 4 (not "Sought Seclusion"), I KNEW when I was shooting that particular scene that I was witnessing a moment that can translate nicely to photography. If you shoot enough and study enough photographic images, I believe you get that feeling that you just know you are doing/capturing something unique or special.

I have thought for a high score could it be:

1. color
2. subject
3. timing
4. editing
5. uniqueness

And then I go out shooting for that particular quality. But time and time again, the winners just find that magic combo that voters are into at that particular time. So I really try to utilize everything I enjoy in a photograph when composing or imagining a scene or setup.

just my thoughts.....
02/16/2006 12:08:40 AM · #24
Agree and to do that you need to present the subject in a new or refreshing way.

All three placegetters in Broken scored above 7.0 and all three, IMHO, presented a subject that strongly fit theme as well as doing it in way that was "new".

bazz.
02/16/2006 12:11:53 AM · #25
Disect away! Sweet!
Pages:  
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 05:12:56 PM

Please log in or register to post to the forums.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 03/28/2024 05:12:56 PM EDT.