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01/06/2003 11:53:00 PM · #1 |
is it just me? or does it seem that very few of the photos in the stranger challenge meet the challenge in that we were supposed to take a picture of "a strange something, somewhere strange"? Many of the photos seem to be pictures of "an ordinary something, somewhere ordinary." I feel like I need to make a general comment message to cut and paste with many of my comments about how they have not met the challenge... so much so I almost feel I am going to be going overboard... thoughts anyone?
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01/07/2003 12:02:36 AM · #2 |
Hmmmm, as a reciepient of a comment very similar to what you have stated, I suspect my picture is one of the guilty ones. But consider, an "ordinary" object can be "stange" in an ordinary place. And because the context has now changed, the somewhere is strange as well, because that is an odd place to be. For example. A bottle of shampoo is ordinary. A flower garder is ordinary. Put the ordinary shampoo in the ordinary flower garden, and they both become strange. The shampoo is strange because it is not in its typical place, and the flower garden becomes strange because what kind of flower garden has shampoo in them?
Just my thoughts. :-)
First edit was to correct a spelling error. The second error was to change my analogy, because I then saw a picture very similar to it and did not want to appear to be using a specific photograph. :P
Message edited by author 2003-01-07 00:08:34.
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01/07/2003 12:05:38 AM · #3 |
My thoughts exactly, Karmat.
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01/07/2003 01:39:28 AM · #4 |
I guess I just took it to mean that the strange something was already strange no matter where it was at, and then you were supposed to photograph the strange something in a strange place.. just my thoughts.. was wondering what others thought... :o) thanks!
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01/07/2003 02:05:19 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by Anachronite:
is it just me? or does it seem that very few of the photos in the stranger challenge meet the challenge in that we were supposed to take a picture of "a strange something, somewhere strange"? Many of the photos seem to be pictures of "an ordinary something, somewhere ordinary." I feel like I need to make a general comment message to cut and paste with many of my comments about how they have not met the challenge... so much so I almost feel I am going to be going overboard... thoughts anyone? |
This is how I was feeling also. There are many pictures that I am having trouble finding the `strange`. If I see a bottle of shampoo in a flower garden, I see trash. And that is not necessarily strange.
Message edited by author 2003-01-07 02:14:15. |
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01/07/2003 12:42:10 PM · #6 |
| I was under the impression that the Strange was from the perspective of the central figure or object in the picture. Not from the viewers standpoint,hence the arctic to an eskimo viewer would not seem strange, or the far away desert to a third world nomadic camel herder would be everyday .Maybe the challenge descriptions are a bit vague which is why there are so many different interpretations.Maybe some of us lack an imagination or dont understand the subject matter.Maybe I seem to be rambling and you should just tune me out.Maybe....... |
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01/07/2003 12:49:22 PM · #7 |
| I think this is a problem with short decriptions for contests + lack of photo descriptions. I saw the challenge as something being or seeming out-of-place. A Lincoln Town Car is a normal "thing" a living room is a normal "place" A LIncoln Town Car in a living room is a strange thing in a strange place to me. Of course there will always be different ways to view an ambiguous challenge? |
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01/07/2003 01:56:55 PM · #8 |
So far, I have receieved three PMs from various artists that have attempted to clarify their strange-ness. This challenge was such that a photographic description (more than a title) would help the viewers with additional context. I know, that's a pipe-dream, it's not workable, but this challenge screamed for knowing the photographer's perspective.
Best advise - with this type of challenge, ask and expect e-mail. You might not want to change your score, but at least you'll have a better idea of what was in the photographer's mind. I've seen others advise that you assume the challenge is met, but I just don't buy that.
Oh yes, could SOMEBODY comment my photo? (zero comments)
Message edited by author 2003-01-07 13:58:31. |
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01/07/2003 03:06:55 PM · #9 |
I agree Swash. You can't assume anything, IMHO. I just don't vote if I can't figure it out after awhile. It's tough enough to figure out whether a picure is too dark, too bright, or has been adjusted to exactly what the photographer saw. Then of course I have to factor in my somewhat strange taste for asthetics. It's a craps shoot at best.
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01/09/2003 11:01:49 PM · #10 |
Well, my photo has gotten a few really good comments, and a few that it doesn't meet the challenge. The problem is that I interpreted "Stranger in a Strange Land" the way it has traditionally been meant. I think it's actually a bible quote. It's about being someone in a new place you've never been before, where you don't fit in, don't know anyone, everything seems strange and foreign to you.
My photo, then, is very subtle for people who are looking for something weird in a weird place. That's really not what "strange" means. |
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01/09/2003 11:20:46 PM · #11 |
I included something in mine to show where it was, but also stated it in the title. I guess many voters to recognise the thing in the image, so assume I'm using the title to 'prop' up the image or explain it.
Also generally my picture is more 'personal' about me being a stranger in the US
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01/09/2003 11:21:06 PM · #12 |
To anyone who cares, here is the dictionary definition:
strange ( P ) Pronunciation Key (strnj)
adj. strang·er, strang·est
1. Not previously known; unfamiliar.
2. a) Out of the ordinary; unusual or striking.
b) Differing from the normal.
3. Not of one's own or a particular locality, environment, or kind; exotic.
4. a)Reserved in manner; distant.
b) Not comfortable or at ease; constrained.
5. Not accustomed or conditioned: She was strange to her new duties.
4. Archaic. Of, relating to, or characteristic of another place or part of the world; foreign.
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01/10/2003 01:04:38 AM · #13 |
By some people’s definition, ALL of the photos this week "DO NOT MEET THE CHALLENGE"!
If we all judge the challenge with this mindset, then the only pictures that "meet the challenge" will have to come from a different planet!
Just what do you consider "Strange"?
Anything on this planet is ordinary in the place that it belongs in. Everything is strange when it's somewhere that is foreign to that object.
How often do you see a live horse riding on a city bus? The horse is ordinary. The bus is ordinary. They are both strange when put together because they don't go together.
By definition this example is a "Stranger in a Strange place" because the horse is in a foreign environment, making it strange (or a stranger). The bus is a strange place for the horse to be.
That said, what do you consider strange?
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01/10/2003 01:21:17 AM · #14 |
I agree with the last post!!!!!! If I go back and take a look at EVERY picture I see ordinary things/people/places. Some are creative, the subject was placed in an odd location hence - "Stranger" in a "Strange" place therefore the Challenge was met. The quaulity of the picture is another subject. I would like to know from those being so critical to express what they consider "Strange". This is not meant to offend anyone, I would like to find out what some define as "Strange" so we can get a better understanding.
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01/10/2003 01:24:38 AM · #15 |
Don't I wish I had a better memory, or was better read. One of you young'ns could tell us who it was that said, "I'm a stranger in a strange land."
For some reason I want to say Marco Polo, but am darn sure that I am wrong.
In any event, I'm voting with the out of place crowd. However, I think it really needs to work too. I realize that the shampoo bottle was only an illustration, but I'll use that as one I would probably vote lower, because it does look more like trash and not much thought into the picture.
Show me something seen in a new way, a different (could be strange) perspective. For some reason, the example of a nun in a habit in a saloon keeps poping up in my mind. Or heavy duty biker in full colors, at a quilting bee or other sedate function. |
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