Request for comments on my photo, please.

09/13/2004 02:54:19 AM · #1

Considering my poor score (59th place) in the Travel Guides challenge, I'd like to know what I did wrong so I can improve. The only technical issue I can see was mentioned by ellamay and the fact that my two subjects might be looking out of frame. I changed my mind and if someone from the Critique Club has time to comment on my entry, I'd greatly appreciate it. If there aren't any further issues, just leave a note here, in the comments for the photo, or PM me. It's just so frustrating. :(

movieman

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

09/13/2004 03:00:28 AM · #2

I wish I was at a point where I could be disappointed with a score above a 6.0.

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

09/13/2004 03:07:20 AM · #3

I finished 179th. I think I deserve a critique. :)

Artyste

Sony Ericsson W810i

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

09/13/2004 03:07:41 AM · #4

Originally posted by movieman:

I wish I was at a point where I could be disappointed with a score above a 6.0.

Me too.. I finished 109th. LOL

jadin

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

09/13/2004 03:11:05 AM · #5

For convienence:

I gave the photo a 9, so I can't say a ton about why it scored low for your standards.

On with the critique!

First thing is the roughness of the bottom half. The clouds are silky smooth, yet sharp. The bottom ocean and 'pier' or what have you, is way too rough. It looks overly sharpened, though I can't say that's what it is since the clouds are not overly sharpened. It could be results of your resizing process; I've noticed poor results using bi-cubic to reduce size. I know from my personal tastes I like to see smooth water, even with waves, smooth waves etc.

That's my biggest complaint with the photo.

The second thing is people have different taste about the subjects. Some like the fact they found something interesting. Others wished they were more involved with the rest of the frame. Regardless having people there I think helped your shot.

That's about the only thing from a critique standpoint I can offer. The biggest factor I think is personal taste.

PerezDesignGroup

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

09/13/2004 03:12:40 AM · #6

That's a nice pic. I love tropical shots. Compositionally, however, it's got a few flaws. You have heavy elements on the right side that aren't being matched on the left. Also, all of your elements push my eyes right off the image.

Then there's the whole "rubber-necking" concept. People love to see what other people are seeing. Normally this helps a shot like in the movies when you wish to build suspense. In this shot, though, it frustrated me.

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 R WR

09/13/2004 03:13:46 AM · #7

I guess it's the last SEVERAL photos that I've entered that have consistently scored below my expectations that's getting to me. My top scores were in the 86th percentile so 69th percentile is a big dip south for me and the highest I've managed for quite a while. Maybe since I've only entered in 14 challenges I'm still learning what DPC voters like and therefore shoot to suit the tastes of the majority. Overall since shooting with the 10D, this is my favorite challenge entry and I am very pleased with the way it turned out but not too many others shared the same feelings. I'm sorry if it sounded egotistical to say that I was unhappy with my score.

I don't want to (and I won't) name specific photographers or photos but I honestly do not know how some of them got the scores that they did considering technical issues that made me deduct major points. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder and a personal decision.

aznym

Fujifilm X-T3

09/13/2004 03:16:17 AM · #8

MrAkamai, what I noticed about your photograph was the mention of a beach in the title and not seeing one.
I had a similar problem with my entry. I mentioned seaside town and some people wanted to see the sea. I gave you a 7 and you are at 59th, you gave me a 10 and I am at 92. I don't think anyone can really point out why it didn't do as well as you expected it to. We're talking about something like 300 individual votes. Even if someone from the Critique Club leaves a lengthy critique on it, it will still be one person's opinion.

09/13/2004 03:28:36 AM · #9

Originally posted by jadin:

For convienence:

I gave the photo a 9, so I can't say a ton about why it scored low for your standards.

On with the critique!

First thing is the roughness of the bottom half. The clouds are silky smooth, yet sharp. The bottom ocean and 'pier' or what have you, is way too rough. It looks overly sharpened, though I can't say that's what it is since the clouds are not overly sharpened. It could be results of your resizing process; I've noticed poor results using bi-cubic to reduce size. I know from my personal tastes I like to see smooth water, even with waves, smooth waves etc.

That's my biggest complaint with the photo.

The second thing is people have different taste about the subjects. Some like the fact they found something interesting. Others wished they were more involved with the rest of the frame. Regardless having people there I think helped your shot.

That's about the only thing from a critique standpoint I can offer. The biggest factor I think is personal taste.

Jadin-

Thank you for your generous vote. I wasn't expecting people to step forward and let me know what they gave me but it is appreciated nonetheless.

As for the pier/walkway, it really looked that way from my perspective. I was sitting on the edge as there was enough of a drop so i could dangle my legs and my feet would not touch the sand below. The walkway was deeply cut with grooves running width-wise. I'd guess they were about 3/4-1" deep and the top of the grooves were uneven. I suppose this is to facilitate traction on the surface in case of rain or high tides or whatnot.

It was fairly windy so the water was not as smooth as I would have liked but I couldn't ask the two people to stay there until the wind calmed down. As far as I know, they have no clue I took this photo which is the way I like it. But I agree the surface of the water is not ideal and very far from it.

Originally posted by PerezDesignGroup:

I was hoping that people would see it as patterned negative space but I guess that was a bit much to ask. :) I was also hoping that most people would use the lines of the walkway and the walkway itself as a leading line to the two people. But I do see your point from a balance perspective. I do a lot of DTP and balance is a big issue with me but I didn't apply it to this photo and I don't know why.

Originally posted by xion:

LOL, I guess we assumed a bit too much. I assumed they would see the water, the long walkway and think beach. I actually reedited the same photo to take out less foreground and even less sand all thinking most people would see this as a beach.

I assumed in your entry that since I saw the rocks that water was nearby. I also really liked the overall composition of your photo hence the 10. You're correct that it's all personal tastes and that's I've been trying to convince myself of that for a long time (and still trying to) vs something I'm doing wrong.

09/13/2004 03:36:00 AM · #10

Originally posted by jmsetzler:

I finished 179th. I think I deserve a critique. :)

I was about to vote on yours but it I was out of time. I was going through some photos in a last minute rush and yours came up at 8:58pm. Not enough time to properly study and vote on your entry.

I really liked your photo from a subject and compositional standpoint but from the aspect of the challenge requirements, I didn't think it fit very well. My first gut reaction was 5 but the more I looked at it I probably would have given a 6 or 7 just because it was simple and conveyed a simple message about not being on vacation (my interpretation).

09/13/2004 03:41:41 AM · #11

Jadin-

One more thing, I did not apply any sharpening to my photo whatsoever. The only modifications were done to the RAW file in Photoshop CS (exposure, shadows, contrast) and levels once opened in Photoshop. Maybe compression had something to do with it as I cannot remember how much I had to do in order to fit file size requirements (save for web).

PerezDesignGroup

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

09/13/2004 04:08:06 AM · #12

Originally posted by MrAkamai:

[quote=jadin] For convienence:

I was hoping that people would see it as patterned negative space but I guess that was a bit much to ask. :) I was also hoping that most people would use the lines of the walkway and the walkway itself as a leading line to the two people. But I do see your point from a balance perspective. I do a lot of DTP and balance is a big issue with me but I didn't apply it to this photo and I don't know why.

I hear ya and it's not much to ask at all. I understood the negative space you were shooting for but those clouds are just so very busy up there. Had it been a clear sky I feel the impact would have been tenfold.

jadin

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

09/13/2004 04:34:13 AM · #13

Originally posted by xion:

Even if someone from the Critique Club leaves a lengthy critique on it, it will still be one person's opinion.

I'm on the brute squad! err Critique Club... ;)

slynneblarp