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always there
always there
sigrun_th


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Still Life II (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-10D
Lens: Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG for Canon
Location: Reykjavik, Iceland
Date: May 12, 2006
Aperture: 22
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/30
Galleries: Cityscape, Photojournalism
Date Uploaded: May 16, 2006

levels, curves, saturation, color work, contrast, usm

in Austurvollur, midtown of Reykjavik, Iceland, by the statue of Jon Sigurdsson, a protest against building of a large hydropower plant at Karahnjukar in the beautiful highlands of Iceland

as still life I am referring to the statue, it is always there, the statue of Jon Sigurdsson

Statistics
Place: 297 out of 338
Avg (all users): 4.1429
Avg (commenters): 2.9167
Avg (participants): 3.8276
Avg (non-participants): 4.3431
Views since voting: 802
Views during voting: 289
Votes: 224
Comments: 15
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
08/30/2006 07:27:17 AM
i can see why this didn't do great in the challenge (too much movable life in the frame, I suppose) but i don't agree with the excessively low score of 4.1... this is a very dramatic, dynamic composition, and the post processing is very stylishly done, and feels natural. i think the lighting on the statue is really cool, and you wonder that if it were cropped above the demonstrators heads to form a 640 wide panoramic shot, it might have faired a lot better. i'd have given it a 7 - based on photographic merits, having already knocked off 3 for the not meeting challenge issues.
05/29/2006 04:35:06 AM
Greetings from the Critique Club. My critiques are generally geared towards trying to help you improve your score within DPC, and not on any true "artistic" merit of the photograph itself, unless it relates to DPC voters and scoring. Please keep that in mind as you read this.

Initial Thoughts
About as "out-of-the-box" as you can get for this challenge, but a pretty cool photo on its own.

Composition/Content
The composition is very good with one minor flaw. A little more rotation to get the statue more vertically aligned would have, in my opinion, really solidified this shot. I love the play of the shadows, and the gradient of the sky is a nice touch. (for my tastes, I wouldn't have gone so green.)

Background
A little cluttered and distracting, but pretty much unavoidable.

Camera Work/Technical
Nice exposure, and there doesn't seem to be any noticeable effects from having a slower shutter speed. (On a tripod?)

Digital Processing
Your list of steps shows good work with all of them, with the possible exception of the color work in the sky. It's just a little too unnatural. The muted tones with the rest of the photo work very well though, I think.

Fits the Challenge
As many have commented, this is the part where you were really hit in voting. As you said, I figured that you were going for the statue as your "still life", but the photo betrays you as it isn't the perceived focus of your shot. It's more a background element than the subject, and that is why people voted you down. However, even if it *were* the main subject, I suspect it still would have gotten lower votes because of the definition of "still life" as most voters saw it. Many were looking more for a grouping of inanimate objects arranged compositionally, and your photo contains nothing of the sort.

My Opinion of the Photo
An interesting and striking photo that, with a couple of tweaks, could be a very good photograph. However, it was simply in the wrong challenge, and because of that, your score suffered mightily.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/23/2006 04:13:43 PM
I wouldn't classify people as still life
05/22/2006 08:55:40 PM
Not a still life.
05/22/2006 12:52:05 PM
Sorry, DNMC.

Main Entry: still life
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural still lifes
1 : a picture consisting predominantly of inanimate objects
2 : the category of graphic arts concerned with inanimate subject matter
05/22/2006 12:09:19 PM
Looks cool!
The skies look great.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/21/2006 06:27:19 PM
I like it, but it doesn't seem to me strongly to fit the still life theme.
05/20/2006 01:56:08 PM
This does not meet the challenge - inanimate but not an arranged composition of objects.
05/19/2006 08:12:11 AM
I don't think this fits the challenge. people don't fit the category of still life.
05/18/2006 03:39:31 PM
DNMC-no use of arranged inanimate objects.

I am not sure what the subject of this photo is. The shadows are interesting, but I find myself distracted by the buildings and musicians. If the musicians are the subject, then I think you should get closer so we can see what they are doing.
05/18/2006 11:57:53 AM
of mikiĆ° prossessaĆ° fyrir mig.. sorry :S
05/18/2006 01:05:32 AM
i like the muted colors
  Photographer found comment helpful.
05/17/2006 09:05:30 PM
I gave this photo a 1 because it didn't seem to me to fulfill my expectation of a "still life," a classic form of artfully arranged objects. Call me narrow minded but that's the way I see it.
05/17/2006 03:58:16 PM
A still life generally brings together a number of elements arranged by the artist into an eyecatching grouping. A candid, maybe even photojournalism, but difinitely not a still life.
05/17/2006 01:55:49 PM
Sorry, I do not feel this meets the challenge.


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