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08/24/2006 08:46:12 AM · #1 |
I guess I look at some of the photos here, some of the winners in challenges, and I think to myself, how far should someone go to set up a shot... (I have done it myself, gone a long way, mostly for humor's sake) but seriously, how much is too staged.. too .. campy?
Perhaps some of the allure of photography is in the candid voyeuristic feel? Setting up a shot, with all the major players, perhaps using props, costumes and the ocasional photo within a photo- can that ever be as good as just seeing beauty somewhere, and taking a picture? have we gone too far in eliciting staged and scripted shots? |
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08/24/2006 08:57:47 AM · #2 |
I think it's really too bad that people value staging over all else, as if a photograph can't possibly have merit unless there are props, modelt, backdrops, and an expensive lighting setup. And abstracts? Forget it. Unless it's a specifically abstract challenge you have no chance. This very narrow interpretation of what makes a good photo on DPC at first disappoints a member and then forces them to conform to receive any kind of acceptance, so yes, I feel it's gone too far.
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08/24/2006 09:20:45 AM · #3 |
The front page is generally overloaded with too many staged shots for my taste. It's all relative and while some are very well done many are sterile and for myself boring to look at at.
It in fact, has put me off from entering Challenges, as I have no desire to shoot staged stuff and the ever popular water/drop/refraction/glass/splash shots never seem to fade.
In my opinion the best stuff on the site by far are ther NON-staged shots including the people shots (modeled) that maintain or highlight the human element.
just an opinion...
Message edited by author 2006-08-24 09:25:22. |
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08/24/2006 09:25:12 AM · #4 |
There are only two candid shots on the front page right now, and one of those is a photo of something staged! The other one... well I loved it so much I married the photographer!
However, I do not want to turn people off to staged shots. You can create wild and surreal effects that way. You can also stage something with real emotion. It's those slick studio shots that bore me. I see enough of those in magazines (but since many of the photographers here want to actually make some money for their efforts, it all makes sense in the end, doesn't it?).
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08/24/2006 09:34:56 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by pawdrix:
It in fact, has put me off from entering Challenges, as I have no desire to shoot staged stuff and the ever popular water/drop/refraction/glass/splash shots never seem to fade. |
& i think it one of the best aspects of the site - i like water/drop/refraction/glass/splash shots & strongly think it is my forte'
in general - non staged shots rely alot on timing & luck - and most people have neither ..
most people do have a good sence of what makes an atractive photo so if it''s staged thats great (IMO)
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08/24/2006 09:38:30 AM · #6 |
I believe staged pictures show alot of creativity and technical knowledge of photography. At the same time, they lack the freshness of opportunity present in candids (am I making any sense?).
I think a good photographer must have a little bit of these traits creativity, technical knowledge and being in the right place at the right time. DPC is a learning experience, I dream one day to have the vision and equipment of many people around here, but at the end I mostly take pictures for myself. And what a good laugh that is, to come back and see your pics of years back ;)
my 2 cents
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08/24/2006 09:41:36 AM · #7 |
staged photographs could be good, if they are new and creative.
I have had many very good composition. (Means they will be staged). But have no time or desire to spend money on stuff to stage it. In fact for stupid studip challenge, I did not shoot my idea because I was too lazy to go and buy condom for it.
(was very funny idea though).
But then it depends on person to person. |
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08/24/2006 09:43:30 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by zxaar:
... I was too lazy to go and buy condom for it. ... |
NEVER a good idea to run out of those! ;^) |
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08/24/2006 09:44:51 AM · #9 |
| Just a comment on the challenges on front page this week - candid shots for 2 of the challenges would have been quite an accomplishment. How many times have you caught someone or thing interacting with peas unexpectedly. And a candid self portrait - is that possible? |
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08/24/2006 09:46:02 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Originally posted by zxaar:
... I was too lazy to go and buy condom for it. ... |
NEVER a good idea to run out of those! ;^) |
Actually the idea was to show middle finger ( .|.. ) but with condom on it. If shot properly could be funny. |
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08/24/2006 09:47:59 AM · #11 |
I agree with that. Many of the challenges invite, if not require certain amount of preparation.
And I am also too lazy to stage something so I enjoy the pics of other people that do that just too well.
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08/24/2006 09:47:59 AM · #12 |
Ralph-this is a bad-ass shot. Nothing personal. I just find that I've seen so many of the same shot...so many times on the front page and they have begun to bore me to tears and I can't even vote on them anymore. Some are super well done and some are very creative, I know but many aren't.
I enjoy looking at people shots most of all, especially ones that you can tell, were tough to capture and staged people shots can also render some killer results. De Sousa's Yellow is staged to the hilt but pretty damn cool.
Message edited by author 2006-08-24 09:58:27. |
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08/24/2006 09:51:37 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Originally posted by zxaar:
... I was too lazy to go and buy condom for it. ... |
NEVER a good idea to run out of those! ;^) |
hey, I thought you were GLAD 2 b a dad! ;)
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08/24/2006 09:54:14 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by ralphnev:
Originally posted by pawdrix:
It in fact, has put me off from entering Challenges, as I have no desire to shoot staged stuff and the ever popular water/drop/refraction/glass/splash shots never seem to fade. |
& i think it one of the best aspects of the site - i like water/drop/refraction/glass/splash shots & strongly think it is my forte'
in general - non staged shots rely alot on timing & luck - and most people have neither ..
most people do have a good sence of what makes an atractive photo so if it''s staged thats great (IMO) |
Ralph, I've been digging your shots lately. Yer expanding my mind (ow).
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08/24/2006 10:01:49 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by pawdrix:
Ralph-this is a bad-ass shot. Nothing personal. I just find that I've seen so many of the same shot...so many times on the front page and they have begun to bore me to tears and I can't even vote on them anymore. Some are super well done and some are very creative I know but many aren't.
I enjoy looking at people shots most of all, especially ones that you can tell, were tough to capture and staged people shots can also render some killer results. |
is "is a bad-ass shot" good or bad? .. i can't tell from your context ;)
i had not seen any like that before i had made it (thats a year ago almost ) it has been dup'ed a few times since - but whatever ..
there are alway new aspects to explore .. the idea that there is nothing new to photograph has been said before - but i don';t tend to reserach old challenges before making a setup - what would the point be, my image is MY image & possibly new to me (though i have repeated my self as well)
as far as people pics - i have thousands of pics of my kids (some even make it to dpc) - other people .. thats difficult for me to do & i admire people who can shoot candids .. it's not my style -now- ..
so table top stuff it is ..
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08/24/2006 10:04:14 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by posthumous:
Ralph, I've been digging your shots lately. Yer expanding my mind (ow). |
thank you
must have been all the "recreational pharmaceuticals" i did in my youth that assists me ... ;)
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08/24/2006 10:07:39 AM · #17 |
Originally posted by posthumous:
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Originally posted by zxaar:
... I was too lazy to go and buy condom for it. ... |
NEVER a good idea to run out of those! ;^) |
hey, I thought you were GLAD 2 b a dad! ;) |
Well, there ARE limits you know. :P |
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08/24/2006 10:31:21 AM · #18 |
I may have contributed to taking this thread a bit off course with my one liner earlier...oops! Here's the initial thought.
Originally posted by blindjustice:
I guess I look at some of the photos here, some of the winners in challenges, and I think to myself, how far should someone go to set up a shot... (I have done it myself, gone a long way, mostly for humor's sake) but seriously, how much is too staged.. too .. campy?
Perhaps some of the allure of photography is in the candid voyeuristic feel? Setting up a shot, with all the major players, perhaps using props, costumes and the ocasional photo within a photo- can that ever be as good as just seeing beauty somewhere, and taking a picture? have we gone too far in eliciting staged and scripted shots? |
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08/24/2006 10:34:32 AM · #19 |
... and to help with the conversation retracking, here's a couple of "staged" entries I've made.
 
These were "staged" in the sense of "let's go take a few shots for this weeks challenge...do this please...".
I've noticed about half of my entries are staged or studio, while the rest are "found" shots. |
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08/24/2006 10:38:17 AM · #20 |
| Just another observation here. I wonder how many fine pics get overlooked because voters rush through to get thier quota of votes in. I've seen many photos that deserve higher marks because they show creativity and some are outside the box from the basic stock pretty people pics.Use your imagination and think when looking at the photos and if you vote whether its good or bad leave a critique other than Oh I don't like this, 1. It may not fit your pleasure but I look at whether it meets the challenge or if it has creativity. |
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08/24/2006 10:51:21 AM · #21 |
Originally posted by ralphnev:
is "is a bad-ass shot" good or bad? .. i can't tell from your context ;)
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"bad-ass" is a good thing...actually it's a great thing!
I agree there is always new territory to explore but many shots that makeup the Top 20 are of the same exact thing...the exact same thing...the exact same thing. Even some of DPC's top scorers are churning out the same stuff staged and not which is tough to compete with.
I love DPC but it's kind of become the Department Of Redundancy Department, especially with much of the staged stuff.
Message edited by author 2006-08-24 10:53:35. |
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08/24/2006 11:03:03 AM · #22 |
Originally posted by pawdrix:
Originally posted by ralphnev:
is "is a bad-ass shot" good or bad? .. i can't tell from your context ;)
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"bad-ass" is a good thing...actually it's a great thing!
I agree there is always new territory to explore but many shots that makeup the Top 20 are of the same exact thing...the exact same thing...the exact same thing. Even some of DPC's top scorers are churning out the same stuff staged and not which is tough to compete with.
I love DPC but it's kind of become the Department Of Redundancy Department, especially with much of the staged stuff. |
ok -- badassed =good
thankyou
but to continue ... i expect to see the same images (and out of box images ) because we all are trying to take pics of the same thing . .
& to reiterate a reiteration same things over & over .. (broken record for thouse of us oldenough to digress ;)
on the other hand i would rather see a well executed copy of an image even if it a old theme than a bad/blurry/etc pic of someones cat, dog, baby/flower/sunset/drip/nakid'lady/etc .. ..
bad pics of duckies & woodies excepted of course (are there good ones!!??) {runs & hides from the ducky/woodie coalition ) |
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08/24/2006 11:07:17 AM · #23 |
I agree with this, but what's the answer? Stop entering challenges?
It's the same people submitting and voting, so I figure the amount of newbies who've never seen the redundancy is continuing to increase - and they vote accordingly.
Me, I vote high for images that aren't all that great just to applaud a couragous entry (such as a B&W candid moment destined to fail here). And landscapes bore me, even fantastic ones, so I vote accordingly. I'm fair with my voting, but it's my only voice, so I use it.
Originally posted by pawdrix:
I agree there is always new territory to explore but many shots that makeup the Top 20 are of the same exact thing...the exact same thing...the exact same thing. Even some of DPC's top scorers are churning out the same stuff staged and not which is tough to compete with.
I love DPC but it's kind of become the Department Of Redundancy Department, especially with much of the staged stuff. |
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08/24/2006 11:20:00 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by hopper:
I agree with this, but what's the answer? Stop entering challenges? |
[/quote]
Sadly I have stopped entering. What I shoot is rarely on Challenge topic and if I skirt the topic I get slammed and that's no fun.My apartment while not too small absolutely sucks for studio type stuff.
I actually have a killer staged idea for "Scene It!" that will get the Blue Ribbon without question. I've taken the shot a million and two times before...it's a no-brainer for me but the model part is almost impossible (I'm serious about that Ribbon too BTW). I'm freaking out over how cool it would be to get but super sad that I most likely won't be able to pull it off. |
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08/24/2006 11:26:35 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by pawdrix:
(I'm serious about that Ribbon too BTW) |
funny that you say this.in the 99 challenges that i've been in - there has only been 2 times that i've (in seriousness) said out loud,"that's gonna win".
i was right both times (my 2 blues :) |
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