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10/15/2002 08:55:11 AM · #1
I am getting several comments indicting they don't see "a sin being commited" in my photo and down go the ratings. Does one have to be terribly obvious? I have had similar prblems in the past challenges I have participated in. In the second, either people saw a mirror because they couldn't discern the difference between two sculptures, or critized the differences because "that's not a reflection". Last week I tried to be a little humorous with my title and got a very nasty comment. This week, I tried to go beyond "a sin being commited" and that's costing me 2's. This week the topic was not "one of the seven sins being commited", but rather "the 7 deadly sins", all of them, but it seems many people are not expecting a metaphor on the 7 sins, but something simple and obvious regarding just one, maybe two sins... it's quite disheartening.
10/15/2002 09:04:28 AM · #2
After listing the sins, the challenge says: "Pick one or more..." So your basis for complaint is entirely wrong ("This week the topic was not "one of the seven sins being commited", but rather "the 7 deadly sins", all of them"). Oh well, I have no desire to open up the meeting-the-challenge nonsense, but it does annoy me when people simply don't read what is there!

I left a number of 2s for images I didn't think met even the minimal basis for inclusion. But I always sign my name. If I am one of the ones about whom you are complaining, please PM me and I'll discuss it with you.
10/15/2002 09:32:14 AM · #3
Originally posted by Jak:
After listing the sins, the challenge says: "Pick one or more..." So your basis for complaint is entirely wrong ("This week the topic was not "one of the seven sins being commited"<br>

I left a number of 2s for images I didn't think met even the minimal basis for inclusion. But I always sign my name.


It's not your case. But I disagree. Where the challenge says "pick one or more" people seem to be expecting you to pik one, not all of them... oh, well... I was just trying to know in advance how my shot for "source of light" will be rated. If "be obvious" is the word, then it will again be low. What I wouldn't do is become obvious to get points.

10/15/2002 11:27:51 AM · #4
Originally posted by Nocturno:
What I wouldn't do is become obvious to get points.


If you won't change your style or your approach to get points it seems sorta futile to complain about the scores you get here.

I see this every week...week after week..month after month. Folks feel frustrated about their scoring but in the same post they also say how they won't change their approach in order to get a better score or they profess it's not about the score.

Of course its about the score. Why else post here. There are dozens of other sites where there is no competition..just a forum to post photos.

The best chance of scoring well here is learning to meet the expectations of the majority of voters here. That is the real challenge. And by the way, other peoples expectations are not bad or good..its theirs and fair to have. I see a lot of posts disparaging the fact that people like a certain style of photo and thats not a good thing..imo.

I'm not saying that changing your style of photography to win an electronic photo challenge should be your bottom line goal...this place is just one out of a million ways to explore photography....try some other sites if this place gets you down sometimes...variety is the spice :-)

10/15/2002 12:00:08 PM · #5
Don't feel bad. I have 19 comments right now saying that it's a very powerful message and that I did a great job with it, and one comment saying simply "don't get it". Goes to show that what 20 (19commenters and myself) people find very obvious, there will be at least 1 that "doesn't get it". Oh well.

HOKIE: This next part concerns you...
I want to say that 6 months ago today, was the 3rd largest sign up day, with 40 people signing up on April 15th. Out of those 40 people, 5 are still quite active members today.
Hokie, Amnon, TSaylors, ClubJuggle, and Patella.
Happy 6th month anniversary guys, and thanks for 6 months of great effort and great work.

~Heather~
10/15/2002 12:10:23 PM · #6
in fact, i even remember you struggling with this for awhile . . but eventually you 'got it' and now you are a proponent of the 'adapt or accept' philosophy .. :)


Originally posted by hokie:
Originally posted by Nocturno:
[i] What I wouldn't do is become obvious to get points.


If you won't change your style or your approach to get points it seems sorta futile to complain about the scores you get here.

I see this every week...week after week..month after month. Folks feel frustrated about their scoring but in the same post they also say how they won't change their approach in order to get a better score or they profess it's not about the score.

Of course its about the score. Why else post here. There are dozens of other sites where there is no competition..just a forum to post photos.

The best chance of scoring well here is learning to meet the expectations of the majority of voters here. That is the real challenge. And by the way, other peoples expectations are not bad or good..its theirs and fair to have. I see a lot of posts disparaging the fact that people like a certain style of photo and thats not a good thing..imo.

I'm not saying that changing your style of photography to win an electronic photo challenge should be your bottom line goal...this place is just one out of a million ways to explore photography....try some other sites if this place gets you down sometimes...variety is the spice :-)

[/i]

10/15/2002 12:13:01 PM · #7
heh. cool .. that's kind of a high attrition rate, though ; )

to me, hokie's a newbie, lol. user # 1066 ... : ) OK, an older newbie .. :P

and heather, you're REALLY a newbie (user #3080) :)

oh yeah re the comments.. luckily everyone has gotten mine. the only person that didnt was a friend of mine lol ..



Originally posted by hbunch7187:
Don't feel bad. I have 19 comments right now saying that it's a very powerful message and that I did a great job with it, and one comment saying simply "don't get it". Goes to show that what 20 (19commenters and myself) people find very obvious, there will be at least 1 that "doesn't get it". Oh well.

HOKIE: This next part concerns you...
I want to say that 6 months ago today, was the 3rd largest sign up day, with 40 people signing up on April 15th. Out of those 40 people, 5 are still quite active members today.
Hokie, Amnon, TSaylors, ClubJuggle, and Patella.
Happy 6th month anniversary guys, and thanks for 6 months of great effort and great work.

~Heather~




* This message has been edited by the author on 10/15/2002 12:14:25 PM.
10/15/2002 02:17:27 PM · #8
the trouble with mine is that people are saying that, because of one certain aspect of the photo, it doesn't really represent "the" sin

well, "the" sin isn't the one I was going for - so obviously it doesn't - the one i was going for, however, IS represented -- at least adequately enough for more than a minimum score

so yes, blame me for not choosing the best shot, but hey - before you say "that's not X", think "could that be Y?"
10/15/2002 02:22:07 PM · #9
Originally posted by spiderman:
the trouble with mine is that people are saying that, because of one certain aspect of the photo, it doesn't really represent "the" sin

well, "the" sin isn't the one I was going for - so obviously it doesn't


... and i could have easily avoided this by putting a title on it like "THIS IS _____" (like a whole lot of people did) - but having been brow-beaten during the Corporate challenge for using the title to set up the context of the shot, I chose to go with something else --- apparently to my detriment
10/15/2002 03:45:35 PM · #10
Can't satisfy them.

I got a comment that says my title doens't match the the topic! No bs :) i thought it was the photo that mattered.

In previous challenges, i have people blasting my title for giving TOO MUCH info. Now i have people whining about the title not matching the challenge????

I guess i should just submit photos that are devoid of creativity from now on.


10/15/2002 03:50:55 PM · #11
Originally posted by hokie:
If you won't change your style or your approach to get points it seems sorta futile to complain about the scores you get here.

You are of course right. Except that I am I not complaining. I am asking if what is expected is blatant obviuousness.

As a photographer, when a customer says "I want my product to look good" I have to shoot basically for the obvious: his product; attractive. My photography is constrained by what the customer expects. I do it well, with creativity limited by "produt; nice", and I get the money.

I do not do that when I shoot for fun, for expression. If what is expected is the obvious, then I will get low scores and many comments stating they "don't get it". Period.

I can live with the low scores. I'm just trying to understand. The challenges are interesting to me, I find them very stimulating and will continue in them as long as possible.

Of course its about the score. Why else post here. There are dozens of other sites where there is no competition..just a forum to post photos.

Well it's not. I belong to several other sites, but I like the challenges. Period.

And by the way, other peoples expectations are not bad or good..its theirs and fair to have.

Same thing with mine.

* This message has been edited by the author on 10/15/2002 3:49:18 PM.
10/15/2002 04:02:49 PM · #12
Originally posted by Nocturno:
Originally posted by hokie:
I am asking if what is expected is blatant obviuousness.


No, of course not. But if a lot of commenters say "What's that all about?" then you have to realise that your picture has failed to communicate with those people. It is, by definition, NOT "blantly obvious" in such a case. The failure is with the picture, not with the viewer, in 999 cases out a thousand.




* This message has been edited by the author on 10/15/2002 4:00:46 PM.
10/15/2002 04:12:42 PM · #13
The thing is people can't help what they think. everyones thinks differently. That seems so obvious but clearly it isn't to everyone. We post our photos on this site because we want to know what other people think of our work. You shouldn't expect to change a person's opinion on your photo but you can choose to learn something from it or not.

T
10/15/2002 04:13:11 PM · #14
Originally posted by magnetic9999:
heh. cool .. that's kind of a high attrition rate, though ; )

to me, hokie's a newbie, lol. user # 1066 ... : ) OK, an older newbie .. :P

and heather, you're REALLY a newbie (user #3080) :)

oh yeah re the comments.. luckily everyone has gotten mine. the only person that didnt was a friend of mine lol ..



Hehe. I've only been here barely over 2 months. You've been here almost as long as the site. lol. Another admirable feat. I'll be here for a long time to come, as long as I'm welcome.
About the commenting on the photos...
I have 22 comments. 1 simply says "very disturbing"
another one simply says "cute"
LOL. I'm not sure if one of them is being sarcastic, or if they just didn't look at the photo. I'm excited to find out in the end.
~Heather~
10/15/2002 04:37:05 PM · #15
I tried making my picture ambiguous, with an option of one or two sins...and it was exceptionally hard to take my picture, and still, people are giving me the lowest ratings ever...I think that since there were so few people submitting, the ones that did not submit want to get back at those of us who did and they want to give extra low scores. Or maybe my picture is really bad...
10/15/2002 04:39:27 PM · #16
Originally posted by titotapado:
it was exceptionally hard to take my picture, and still, people are giving me the lowest ratings ever...

Generally speaking, the viewers have no way of knowing how difficult or easy a shot was -- nor, frankly, should it matter to them.


10/15/2002 04:40:53 PM · #17
Originally posted by timj351:
You shouldn't expect to change a person's opinion on your photo but you can choose to learn something from it or not.

T


Again, I don't expect to change anyone's opinion. But then again, learning from some one-syllable comments is quite a feat. I am trying to get the feeling of the site, that's all.

Mauricio
10/15/2002 04:48:47 PM · #18
Originally posted by Jak:
Originally posted by titotapado:
[i]it was exceptionally hard to take my picture, and still, people are giving me the lowest ratings ever...


Generally speaking, the viewers have no way of knowing how difficult or easy a shot was -- nor, frankly, should it matter to them.
[/i]

Though often I think that is why there is quite a gap between the
photographer and non-photographer results.

If you understand how difficult something is to achieve, you tend to
value/ appreciate it more - music is a lot like that too, as is a good
game of chess.
10/15/2002 06:13:40 PM · #19
I just got the best comment and thought I would share
"TOO MAGAZINE AD LOOKING"
is that funny or what!
10/15/2002 06:17:04 PM · #20
Originally posted by Nocturno:
I can live with the low scores. I'm just trying to understand.

I would have to disagree with you on 1 point... Your scores aren't all that low :) Your lowest score was a tad over 5.3, and at this site, that is not great but certainly a respectable score...
10/15/2002 06:53:54 PM · #21
Don't feel bad Noc. Mine is not at all obvious either. In fact I committed the sin of making my picture dependent on the title and they are still not getting it or not reading it. But I had no expectations of a good score either. *grin*
10/15/2002 06:56:50 PM · #22
Originally posted by myqyl:
I would have to disagree with you on 1 point... Your scores aren't all that low :) Your lowest score was a tad over 5.3, and at this site, that is not great but certainly a respectable score...

I know I have been lucky on average. I wrote this thinking of the 2's and 1's explained with weird comments. I'd rather have honesty, like someone who wrote: "my voting scale is if I don't like it it gets a 1". I mean is I won't moan about that, when it's the case.

Mauricio

10/15/2002 07:15:57 PM · #23
i would take that as a great compliment. it means your shot looks professional.

Originally posted by TerryGee:
I just got the best comment and thought I would share
"TOO MAGAZINE AD LOOKING"
is that funny or what!


10/15/2002 07:40:43 PM · #24
Or it could mean the guy just take a photo of a magazine ad.

There are a few entries on this challenge that are simply photos of monitors or TV it seems, or printed paper.


Originally posted by magnetic9999:
i would take that as a great compliment. it means your shot looks professional.

Originally posted by TerryGee:
[i]I just got the best comment and thought I would share
"TOO MAGAZINE AD LOOKING"
is that funny or what!


[/i]


10/16/2002 12:28:48 PM · #25
I think it is a compliment, as it is definitely something I shot(can't explain during voting but it is not a monitor, newspaper, etc.)but I don't think the person commenting meant it as a compliment.
Made me a laugh anyway...


* This message has been edited by the author on 10/16/2002 12:27:47 PM.
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