| Author | Thread |
|
|
02/16/2008 11:10:37 AM |
One of my worst scoring photos ever was in the toy challenge too, Juli. I think the thing about toy photos having a really hard time doing well is right -- plus -- have you noticed, there are aLOT of newbie voters that are even more brutal than the old timers.
I'm sorry you had to live thru a week of voting with a 3.85 score :( The second challenge I ever entered got a 3.8 too. (don't go look, I'm embarrassed. . .I didn't know what a macro was)
Anyway, I'm glad this is all over for you -- because your work is so pretty and successful.
(((( hug )))) |
|
 Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/13/2008 10:21:32 AM |
| Hi Julianne - I did not finish voting so I did not get to this picture. I love sparkly things especially when they are part of a figurine or even Christmas ornaments. I think I would have given this a 5. I look at this and do see the sparklies everywhere but for me, there's so much to look at that I cannot tell what it is that you really want me to focus on. I have also found that it helps to have the figureine looking at the viewer. That kind of engages them on some level. My fave part is the bokeh sparkles in the background. Oh and the border did not bother me at all - i think the green is a great complement to the sparkles :) |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/11/2008 11:03:45 AM |
| Julianne, my initial reaction when I saw this was the grain and the border destroyed it. You said in your comments "lighting, composition, and focus are decent.." I think people are expecting the technicals to be perfect rather than decent in a free study (for good or bad...). I gave it a 4 during voting mainly because I had no "connection" with the subject conbined with the "decent" but not perfect technicals. I also agree with most of what has been said below. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/10/2008 02:14:14 PM |
| Julianne - I'm not sure I can add any more than what has already been said below. I can understand if this image speaks to you, as I have a few that speak to me but nobody else. Unfortunately, this never translates into a matching score. If you want a better score, reference the below technical comments...but if you are happy with it and I think you are...be proud of it and ignore the narrow opinions that are the majority of DPC voting. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/09/2008 06:44:12 PM |
| I appreciate your frustration with this one - this shot clearly speaks to you a lot but the voters just see an OOF figurine and click the 'tank' button. It will have been the shutter speed that has caused this - I never shoot under 1/80 on my 50mm with my slightly shaky hands! As has been mentioned before, the border, though it works well with the colour scheme, is a bit too garish for most tastes (including mine if I'm honest). The important thing is that you keep submitting what means the most to you. With a bit of luck, someone else will feel the same way! |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/08/2008 09:23:18 PM |
I like how the bokeh seems like just larger twinkles that match the twinkles in his eyes. I don't know if you shot this handheld or not, but at 1/20s it may have been too slow for handheld, to avoid softness due to hand shake. Also the aperture might have been too wide - I think what could have led to some of the poorer votes were the parts of the shot that fall out of focus, like the beard and eyebrows, which a greater depth of field may have helped. With such a narrow DOF, critical focus is even more critical, and anything, like handshake at slower shutter speeds, will be even more dramatically apparent. Of course if you didn't intend the beard and eyebrows to be in focus, my comment is irrelevant - I'm a big believer in the photographer's intent trumping what any particular viewer might "want" from your image. :)
In any case, votes below 4 for this image seem harsh. Personally I voted this a 5, which means to me a shot that is decent but just doesn't particularly "grab" me. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/08/2008 09:03:31 PM |
I didn't vote on this one, but I would have probably given it a 5. The composition is pretty good. I think the main issue is the clarity of the image as a whole, and a bit of graininess. The 1/20 second exposure may have had something to do with that. Were you using a tripod? If it was handheld, then I admire your ability to hold a camera steady at that shutter speed. I would have probably bumped up the colors a touch to bring out the rosy cheeks, sparkly eyes and the bokeh in the back.
I think to some extent it was a little out of season right now and some voters may have viewed it as a photo of someone else's piece of art. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/08/2008 12:01:23 PM |
| Julianne, this is a response from the forum you signed up for: It has already been said in a few of the comments and I agree; shots of toys or figurines don't do well here. The photo does have great bokeh that picked up the greenish dusk. On the down side of the dust is that it gathered in the eyes and makes me want to flince alittle because we can all relate to getting something in your eyes and how painful that is. I've looked thru your portfollio and you take some wonderful shots but I can't say this is one of them. Don't be too discouraged by my comments, it's just how one viewer sees this. Do keep shooting, you do some really nice work. X |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
Comments Made During the Challenge  |
|
|
02/07/2008 10:06:16 PM |
| Fun photograph. It makes me happy. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/07/2008 11:26:07 AM |
| Sweet but rather artificial. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/03/2008 09:13:59 PM |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/03/2008 07:41:44 PM |
| Not to be harsh, but this image doesnt do much for me. The green in the border seems out of place as well. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/02/2008 02:24:07 PM |
| When this opened, it immediately made me smile. While I don't understand the score as low as it is, I will say that pictures of figurines generally don't do well on DPC. I kinda like 'em when they're personified like this. There's a twinkle in the eyes and though you can't see the mouth, you can tell he's smiling. I also like the sparkly bokeh behind. It's a good solid composition with even lighting. Focus could be just a wee bit sharper and the white balance is touch on the yellow side. The green inner border does complement your shot well, but there are some voters who really don't like colored borders for some reason. It's a better picture than it's scoring, that's for sure. (Comment only, no vote.) |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
|
|
02/01/2008 10:03:06 AM |
Hey Julianne - I voted on this before knowing it was yours so no conflict of interest here. Here is my first reaction - I don't usually much care for pics of toys or figurines. They really need to be shot creatively and be technically sound for them to grab me. This one just doesnt do that for me. It looks pretty rough IMO from a technical POV. Pretty grainy, his eyes look pretty blocky (though that could just be how they are), it just isnt up to the quality that I know you are capable of. Composition wise its pretty flat. The background part on the left feels messy. And the border really isnt good. The flourescent green actually draws my eye rather than complimenting the image. Had this been a person rather than a figurine it would be scoring higher. But again - for me, a toy shot really has to be technically on and have a strong creative bent to have me score it high. Looking through your portfolio its clear that you do excellent work. Great portriats and lovely nature shots. This one just doesn't live up to what you are capable of.
Hopefully this isnt too harsh. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback for me. I would be glad to discuss anything I said that you may feel is out of line. |
|
| Photographer found comment helpful. |
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
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: 07/26/2024 09:31:02 PM EDT.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
