What did I do wrong? - DPChallenge Forums

01/24/2005 01:23:22 AM · #1

I can't believe I got 2nd to last in the Architecture... I didn't think I did well, but this is just embarrassing! Can someone tell me what I did so wrong that made me score so low?

Here is my entry:

Here is the raw version:

I know the raw version is in pretty bad shape! I'm not used to taking outdoor shots.

Here is what I probably SHOULD'VE entered:

Does anyone think I would've done better with the 2nd option?

scottwilson

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8

01/24/2005 01:56:21 AM · #2

Well your second options is a sharper and cleaner looking photo, but the tree is distracting in it. In both of your photos have been compressed by much more then they need to be, taking up about 40K bytes, you can use up to 150 K bytes. Your first photo it pretty soft on the focus and the lighting is pretty flat. It looks like you really turned up the color saturation which gave it a unnatural look. I would say that if you could have gotten your first option in as clean a photo as you did your second option you would have done much better. I also think they if you simply cropped your fist option and did not adjust the colors you would have done better.

Take some time looking at the photos that scored better and see how they differ from yours and see if you can tell how they got what they got.

Zoomdak

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

01/24/2005 01:57:09 AM · #3

I think the 2nd option would have done better.

Maybe the reason it did so bad is because it looks poor quality. The bluryness/out of focus, the mild pixelation, the uninteresting lighting. DPC, in general, likes crisp, intriguing images, ones that grab thier attention, and ones that they keep coming back too. This image doesn't do that to me.

nsbca7

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

01/24/2005 02:23:06 AM · #4

Your entry is blurry, low contrast and not level. Work on those three things for starters and you photography will improve.

Stagolee

Kodak Easyshare C180

Canon EF 50mm f1.2L

01/24/2005 02:24:21 AM · #5

I think the comments you received during the challenge and in this post sum up "what went wrong.

But I'm not real sure about the second choice it seems the sky is a little blown out and the tree adds nothing to the image.

jonpink

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2

01/24/2005 04:17:30 AM · #6

I am suprised that your suprised.

Ignoring anything else about the image, it is so poorly focused that nothing would really redeam it's score.
I am interested to see if you do not find this OOF yourself?

Maybe it was the tight crop? I am not sure, but all the detail ahs been lost by it not being pin sharp.

blemt

Nikon D70

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

01/24/2005 07:35:13 AM · #7

What shooting mode were you using? And what settings do you have the camera on? It looks like you cropped a 3mp image a tad too much, and didn't have good focus lock to begin with.

Clara

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

01/24/2005 12:09:40 PM · #8

Thanx for all your feedback... bumping for more!

I'm very new at this and not even sure how to use my camera very much or even use PS for that matter! I used Auto and I think because the sun was setting when I took this shot, it just made everything bad! I've got an 8 mo. old at home and find it hard to get out to find stuff to photograph, so my options were limited for this challenge... I guess I would've been better off not entering at all, but the good thing about it... I learned from it!

I'm not surprised that I did poorly... I'm just surprised at some of the entries that placed a little higher than me (don't want to mention any as not to hurt anyones feelings).

Again, thanx for the feedback, it helps me improve :)

GoldBerry

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

01/24/2005 12:11:33 PM · #9

Like everyone has said: out of focus. And for me it's just a strange crop. The original was better, but still very weak on the composition side. Looks very snap-shot-ish.

I know you're upset about the poor finish, but take a look at the shots that all finished higher - chances are they're better photos :-)

Better luck next time!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

01/24/2005 12:18:13 PM · #10

Originally posted by mpalitang:

Thanx for all your feedback... bumping for more!

I'm very new at this ... I guess I would've been better off not entering at all, but the good thing about it... I learned from it!

Again, thanx for the feedback, it helps me improve :)

If you figure there will be about 200 photos every week which don't ribbon it's easier to submit and get the feedback and don't worry about the finish.

The real problem will come when you improve to the "pretty good" category -- scores between about 4.3 and 5.6 -- where there's nothing either good enough or bad enough to get people to comment on at all.

Unless you have a fetish about numerical rankings, feel free to experiment and see for yourself what works and what doesn't.

LoudDog

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

01/24/2005 12:58:41 PM · #11

Originally posted by blemt:

It looks like you cropped a 3mp image a tad too much, and didn't have good focus lock to begin with.

Clara

What she said.

I'm guessing you didn't sharpen it when you resized it either.

Ironworker

Nikon D70

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED

01/24/2005 01:08:18 PM · #12

It is blurry & out of focus. Just keep on shooting, & playing with PS. Chalk it up as a learning experience. Just as all my entries are.

ClickIt

Nikon Coolpix 3200

01/24/2005 02:24:50 PM · #13

Simply put...someone has to come in first...someone has to come in last..but trust me..I'll be right behind you!

sabphoto

Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+

01/24/2005 02:42:23 PM · #14

I agree that it was compressed a bit too much, your original may look better if left uncompressed; the color saturation also is a little high. When shooting like this into (or almost into) the sun, try using a polarizing filter (if available) to cut some of the sky glare and take a bracketed shot to look how your different exposures turn out.

If you are shooting for a challenge and can't touch up your images you may have to go with a darker image to save the blown-out sky. If you can edit the image, remember it is always better to underexpose an image since you can add color and light in post processing. Overexposure will ruin most chances of fixing it. I always take about 3 or 4 with different f-stops to play with.

Good luck

01/25/2005 12:19:02 AM · #15

Originally posted by sabphoto:

When shooting like this into (or almost into) the sun, try using a polarizing filter (if available) to cut some of the sky glare...

I always take about 3 or 4 with different f-stops to play with.

Good luck

Excuse my ignorance on the subject, but what is a polarizing filter and an f-stop?

scottwilson

Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera

Canon EF 28mm f/2.8

01/25/2005 12:26:34 AM · #16

Originally posted by mpalitang:

Originally posted by sabphoto:
When shooting like this into (or almost into) the sun, try using a polarizing filter (if available) to cut some of the sky glare...

I always take about 3 or 4 with different f-stops to play with.

Good luck

Excuse my ignorance on the subject, but what is a polarizing filter and an f-stop?

A polarizing filter is a filter that, under the right conditions, can remove some of the light from the sky, making it both darker and often bluer. It will also reduce greatly the reflections off of most shiny surfaces, like water, windows, bald heads that kind of thing.

When he is talking about taking photos at different f-stops he is referring to the exposure level, most cameras allow you to adjust up and down the exposure level from what the meter is setting it at. Most photographers, or at least a lot, get in the habit of shooting everything in manual mode, where they are choosing the shutter speed and aperture in this case it is very easy to take photos at different exposure levels.

It would help you a lot to get a good book on photography, it adds a lot to the fun if you know some of the basics.

nsbca7

01/25/2005 12:28:01 AM · #17

Are you serious? I'm not being sacastic I just need to know if you are joking or not? If not you might want to pick up a book about photography such as The Camera by Ansel Adams to explain the basics of photography. If you are serious about photography and want to improve you should learn the basics as best you can. Polarizing filters and f/stops are about as basic as you can get. There is no skipping these things on the road to good photography.

milo655321

Nikon D70

Tokina AF 12-24mm f/4.0 AT-X Pro DX

01/25/2005 12:34:27 AM · #18

"Ditto" what nsbca7 said. I'm just a beginner myself and I have a number of books on my shelf to teach the whats and wherefors of basic and advanced photography. Some basic knowledge regarding apetures, shutter speed, focal length, depth of field and digital ISO equivalents are a necessity to improving your photography. It may seem difficult at first, but you'll quickly improve with practice.

nico_blue

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

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

01/25/2005 01:42:56 AM · #19

Mpalitang,
You should take your camera and set it to the 'M' mode (full manual) and just play around adjusting the shutter speed and the aperature. Take different pictures at different settings and see how they are different and what adjusting each does. When you feel that you are comfortable with them read up on some of the technical info on the web. (cheaper than buying a book that you might never read) Just do a search on google and go through some of the results. Also read about the settings in your camera manual. Read up on stuff you didnt know about your camera in the manual and you will also be improving some of your technical skills at the same time. When you feel you are ready to move up to the next level, get adobe photoshop. (or some other image processing software, there are some free ones out there as well) Start from the basics and learn new stuff as you go along, read some image processing tutorials on dpc to learn more new useful stuff.
I believe that if you take the time to do this in the next few weeks you will really notice a big improvement in your photography. Take care and best of luck.

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

01/25/2005 01:34:31 PM · #20

Originally posted by nsbca7:

Yes, I'm serious... I'm assuming the f-stops is the F2.8 - F8.0 that my camera has available... I was told this was the apperture. Am I correct? I guess it would do me some good to AT LEAST read the manual in my camera!

As I've said before, I'm totally new to this and the only reason I'm really working on improving my photography is so that I can get some really great "family" shots without having to go to a studio and pay big bucks for it! I figure if I try and meet these challenges it will give me a wide variety of skills to learn... it's really the feedback I need the most and I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten from all of you!

I'll try and start with reading my manual first (should've done this a long time ago). Then I'll look around for a good photography book... I have PS and I'd like to learn this too, but I think I need to learn how to TAKE the shot first!

rblanton

Canon EOS-10D

01/25/2005 03:16:56 PM · #21

Picture the aperature like the pupil of your eye. As you change the aperature via fstops a small opening in the camera either admits more or less light, much like your pupil dialates or contracts. When it gets smaller, less light is admitted yet, the distance in front of you that is "in focus" increases. Strange but true, much like squinting your eyes to get better focus. The more open the aperature is, the greater the light and less of the area in front of you is in focus. Just remember this.. small aperature = many things in focus. Large aperature = fewer things in focus creating blur on items closer and farther away that what is your primary item of focus. Have fun learning your camera and the art... you will be richly rewarded for the effort.