| Author | Thread |
|
|
05/04/2004 10:31:06 AM · #1 |
I'd really like to vote without seeing the titles. I think they distract from the art of the picture. I'd like to judge based on only the photo.
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 10:36:47 AM · #2 |
| I agree. Sometimes I get comments about the title, but for me, the title is just an afterthought, something I throw in with the submission because I'm required to. |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 10:39:07 AM · #3 |
Think I disagree. Sometimes people try to squeeze images into challenges with the title but I think it dont works in most cases. On the other hand if you have a good image that fits the challenge a good titel can make it even stronger and add to artistical compact.
Message edited by author 2004-05-04 10:39:49. |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 10:53:41 AM · #4 |
| The conventional wisdom around here is that the title is part of the entry. You don't have to use one if you don't like. You can put untitled, or something bland that repeats the name of the challenge if you like. But some people use the title as a bit of explanation to make sure voters understand their image. And each voter can decide not to view titles by scrolling them off the screen while voting the entries. I did that for a while, 3 or 4 challenges, but decided it made little difference and wasn't worth the trouble. |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 11:09:06 AM · #5 |
Titles are part of the personality and identity of the photograph. I actually feel sorry for those who can do nothing more than type in "untitled" for a title. Shows a lack of imagination at the very least. If you can't vote without paying attention to the title then that should tell you that you also feel it is part of the personality and identity of the photograph.
Just imagine if the Mona Lisa was titled "Untitled" how would we today know that Untitled was the Mona Lisa or some other piece of art? A title is as important as your name is. If you were Ansel Adams would you want your work known as being done by anonymous? Thats what you are doing when you even think a photo shouldn't have a name you are taking its identity from it.
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 11:13:56 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by OneSweetSin:
Titles are part of the personality and identity of the photograph. I actually feel sorry for those who can do nothing more than type in "untitled" for a title. Shows a lack of imagination at the very least. If you can't vote without paying attention to the title then that should tell you that you also feel it is part of the personality and identity of the photograph.
Just imagine if the Mona Lisa was titled "Untitled" how would we today know that Untitled was the Mona Lisa or some other piece of art? A title is as important as your name is. If you were Ansel Adams would you want your work known as being done by anonymous? Thats what you are doing when you even think a photo shouldn't have a name you are taking its identity from it. |
Yeah, what she said....lol Said so well I wasn't even going to try to improve on it ;)
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 11:18:03 AM · #7 |
Titles are usually important for my own pictures. The shots of mine I like the best are usually the ones where I see what the challenge is and a title and picture come to me simultaneously. If I have trouble coming up with a title, it is usually not one of my favorite shots.
As far as voting and the effect of someone else's title, it only comes into play if I can't get anything from the picture itself.
drg |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 11:52:38 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by LtHousLady:
Originally posted by OneSweetSin:
Titles are part of the personality and identity of the photograph. I actually feel sorry for those who can do nothing more than type in "untitled" for a title. Shows a lack of imagination at the very least. If you can't vote without paying attention to the title then that should tell you that you also feel it is part of the personality and identity of the photograph.
Just imagine if the Mona Lisa was titled "Untitled" how would we today know that Untitled was the Mona Lisa or some other piece of art? A title is as important as your name is. If you were Ansel Adams would you want your work known as being done by anonymous? Thats what you are doing when you even think a photo shouldn't have a name you are taking its identity from it. |
Yeah, what she said....lol Said so well I wasn't even going to try to improve on it ;) |
You're welcome =o)
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 12:04:32 PM · #9 |
I'll also add my support to Anna's comment. Well said! thinking about my "rusted" submission, I believe the title is a strong element of the impact of the photo. I think this is how it should be; a title places the work in the context of the artist's state of mind. The perception of an artwork can be completely changed by a title. A good title can add immeasurably to the emotional impact of an image.
A forum search will turn up many previous discussions on this topic.
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 12:07:57 PM · #10 |
Everyone, if there is a will, can come away with some sort of impression of a work. Some people though may simply lack the facility to appreciate single aspects of a presentation, which, indeed, would render them unfit to judge it also.
Everyone with a camera can take a good picture every now and then, if only he/she takes enough of them and sees one when it's there. Yet some of us simply lack the ability (for whatever reasons) or to take certain kinds of pictures. I, for instance, have about five percent of the photoshop skills necessary to wake a promising shot to the kind of life Jean Jacques is capable of. I do not know my camera as well as the next guy either. I have a literary background though and can conjure a decent title.
When voting, I am no different. While I pay much attention to the title, mainly because it is my forté, I am also willing to appreciate the care someone has put into the treatment of an out-of-camera shot, simply because it is exciting to me to see something done well I cannot do myself.
If we have the ambition to discover and make great pictures, we cannot, IMO, ignore isolated aspects of a work, be it our own or someone else's.
When 'Untitled' is chosen to caption a photo, this can be, of course, be due to plain laziness on part of the photographer. It may, on the other hand, represent a deliberate and apt choice, depending on the work, its process or context. While, in some cases, it may be easy to tell one from the other, this is not always the case.
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 12:31:09 PM · #11 |
| I don't want to see this site micro-managed and have all member discretion removed. I don't always agree with everything here, but I might disagree more if a minority pre-made the decisions for me. As everyone has said -- you can ignore the titles, embrace them, whatever you like. But I am afraid of too many limits being set, even if the wisest choices aren't always made. It all comes back to the same thing for me -- it is all about having a push to "challenge" myself each week and then get some great feedback if I wish. The "contest" is secondary to me, but an absolute fun-fest! The real telent always shows through, and from them we can all soak it up and learn!!! |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 01:08:16 PM · #12 |
Food for thought!
If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then why
do we need to add more to it? |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 01:39:18 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by superdave_909:
Food for thought!
If a picture is worth a 1000 words, then why
do we need to add more to it? |
...because a title can help determine which 1000 words one comes up with.
|
|
|
|
05/04/2004 01:44:56 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by lenkphotos:
...because a title can help determine which 1000 words one comes up with. |
Ah yes but isn't the beauty in your own interpretation?(don't mind my spelling):D |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 01:50:03 PM · #15 |
| Can't you have both? I have my own interpretation of many songs as they relate to me personally, but I also appreciate hearing the writer's own interpretation. There's room for both in me -- just more richness added. |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 01:51:38 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by superdave_909:
Originally posted by lenkphotos:
...because a title can help determine which 1000 words one comes up with. |
Ah yes but isn't the beauty in your own interpretation?(don't mind my spelling):D |
...unless I want to influence your interpretation. My abstract, for instance, is more meaningful to everyone if my intent (via the title) is communicated. Then you can choose whatever 1000 words you want. ;-) |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 01:58:22 PM · #17 |
In my opinion, too many things in life are taken out of context and misconstrued. Communication is a vital part of our world, and we have developed language for this reason: to help commuincate. Imagery is beautiful, but without a title, it can be taken out of context. This may be fine if that's your goal as a photographer. But most photographers that I know want to portray a feeling, a mood, and take you with them to the exact place and time they took the photo. A title is sometimes the best way to do this.
This is just my opinion, but I do agree that a title is part of the artwork, the identity, the communication of a photo! :) |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 02:01:30 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by lenkphotos:
...unless I want to influence your interpretation. My abstract, for instance, is more meaningful to everyone if my intent (via the title) is communicated. Then you can choose whatever 1000 words you want. ;-) |
hmmm, fair enough! Keep the titles!:D |
|
|
|
05/04/2004 02:07:02 PM · #19 |
| I think the titles are fine as-is. When I cast votes, I tend to take in the whole image and pay little attention to the title. I'm much more interested in what the image tells me about it's subject and how much thought went into it. The only thing that frosts me is when an image is not even close to fitting the challenge and a title is used to squeeze it into conformance. I think an image should be capable of speaking for itself, but that's just me. It doesn't warrant an official policy as it rarely seems to happen near the top of the ratings... |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Prints! -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/23/2024 09:13:30 PM EDT.
