Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 Hehe lots to read. One thing is for sure! That judging photos is a really hard thing to do! And this LPS is ment to be a LEARNING experience with the atmosphere on this board which I think is even more than great. And I've "altered" the competition a bit to allow certain depth of feelings in the votes. Why... Because that is also a learners thing. Like the lights at night theme for example. There were a lot of great shots some with a lot of depth. But everybody loves the photo of a big city in lights. It attracts us. We say he cool! without looking to the photographical quality. It is a thing in our brain that goes whoohoo when seeing that. That is also the other way around with not liking one. I believe that this is a huge aspect of photographing and it is very educational to learn the difference between what makes a great shot and what not. The same as with the theme. What do others see as an abstract theme and what not. Ofcourse you can think and make your work outside the box. But if people do not see that in your photo even if you do that should be taken into account as a learning experience. For this I got a pretty good example. The theme was colo(u)rs which in my language is also the verb colouring... Everybody came with these great colourful photos. All colours that can be seen were there in the photograph... One had a black and with photo and got second in the competition: click. That is still related to the theme 100% but was also outside the box. And the people were drawn to that. Also another entered a black and white photo and got no points at all because it was a plain black and white photograph. The real things in the image were all very colourful! But that was not what the competition was about. Hopes this gives some answers about my motives! ETA: I know you guys will keep it nice but I'm gone for the day (and a half)! Schoolwork and my 1st part of my Kung Fu exam!
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 Ok, adding my 2 cents in the whole discussion. I think a picture should fit the theme. I'm all in for thinking outside the box and everything, but it has to have atleast something to do with it. Like, the landscape photo (although I love it, it's really a beautiful photograph), in my opinion, doesn't fit the the theme. And now LPS: 14 What's the focus point: the clouds, roof, electric pole? And I think I'm missing what's abstract here. 10 You could've used maybe different angle. It's a very busy picture, I wasn't sure what to look at first. 05 I'm sorry. Love it, but doesn't fit the theme. All: 08 11 13 Cheers
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 Just to clarify, the photo should still reflect the theme in some way (even though it is of course all down to personal interpretation). The main point we are trying to put across is that the quality of the photo should be paramount, and relevance to theme secondary. If a poster doesn't think the photo relates to the theme, I personally don't think that should be a reason for voting against it, especially when it is a good photo. The photographer and BlueCurl evidently both think it does relate to the theme in some way. I get the feeling though, that there are two different schools of thought in evidence here, and it's very difficult to reach an agreement about it. I did think that Swan had a good point in saying that this put people off voting (and participating) before, and it will continue to do so, which is a shame.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 No offence, but then why do we play with themes? If the quality of the picture is the most important factor, I could take a beautiful picture wich has nothing or very little to do with the theme and still gain points? Why not leave the decision to the poster? If they believe the theme is an important factor, they should vote so. If not, vote for the photograph with the most quality. Also, voting is a very personal thing. If you feel off by a picture (theme, focus point, subject or anything else), then you should vote so.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 I agree here. All is personal interpretation. I want to see great idea/point of view etc. not all to be stick only of the literally accept/take of the theme. I can give example from the last LPS when the theme was 'shadow' and most of the pics was 'wow lets photo my own shadow' style... so where is the creative part ?! And in the end turn out that some very great photos go away from the game only coz they was little 'different'. This LPS have to be for the quality of the photo, right ?! And this way we to try help the photographers improve theirs skill?! Ok ok this is only my own opinion ..... but as whole coz of this is stop vote in this type of contest...
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 The theme is important because the participants need a means of channelling their ideas for their photograph. The theme is also needed to form the 'challenge' part. It's also interesting from the voters perspective, to see how people interpret the theme.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 My point exactly. If the image doesn't relate to the theme then you really haven't done the whole challenge. You've just submitted a pretty picture. Without theme, there's no direction.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 After much thinking I've come to the conclusion that after this theme is over I'm withdrawing. I love doing photography but the last few times I've discovered I've been taking pictures to pleas others, not to please myself. And to me that looses the whole relm of they I got into this in the first place. I'm sorry but this discussion has sealed it for me. I'm going to go back to taking my pictures my way and thinking outside the box of normality.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 Hey, come on now, don't do that. If I offended you in any way, then I'm really, truely sorry. The fun thing about taking pictures, is that they have the ability to show how you felt at a particular time. That's the beauty of photography. The hardest thing about photography though, is that not everyone will always agree with you. It really shows a lot of character when you stick to your opinion. I really admire someone who can do that. I hope you stay with us and show us your strength. And by the look of your banner, you're one tough cookie. Please stay and kick ass.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 Thank you for the word of encouragement, _Hush_. It's not that people don't agree with what I put out there, I've run into that since I started. I don't like hearing that free thinking isn't allowed and that the picture has to be with the theme it can't stray even a little bit. Photography tells a story about a moment in time. No one knows what happened before or after, unless that's part of the presentation, it's all about the created moment. I want to tell my story without being told that I'm wrong in doing so. S maybe I was too quick to withdraw, so I will wait until the results are posted then make my decision. Thank you again _Hush_
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 Don't particularly want to see you withdraw from the contest either wolfesgamergirl. And I do agree with what you said, about photography telling a story etc. As for myself, I look at these themes as a personal challenge to my talent and abilities with the camera. To look at things a little closer, and find beauty in all that is around me. As for other opinions, to each their own. I am pretty cool with that. Not everyone likes the same things or share the same views.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 LPS 10- The Table is blurry; there is nothing that actually draws the eye to it. Aclose cropping of the string bag might bake for an interesting abstract. 14- I think this picture is slightly underexposed. closely cropping may make this much more striking. 11- This is an interesting effect. I would like this one except the lower left corner starts to get blurry. If all the bubbles were on the same focal plane it would have make this picture better for me. for best in show 5-* 7- This picture is one of the most interesting photos I have ever seen. It has an interesting composition and so many layers all so sharp and in focus. I could stare at it for hours and still see something new next time I cam back. 6- I liked this one. I kept seeing "pictures" in the seemingly random trails. *I know that this is my first time entering pictures for any contest here but I just wanted to submit my thoughts along with my choice. When this theme was first presented BlueCurl provided a link to give us examples. There was a picture that resembled this one. I even did some more searching and found that many professional photographers were labeling pictures similar to this as "abstract." I love this picture, I think it fits the theme well although, in my opinion, it is heading toward the outskirts of the theme. I had a difficult time with this theme because of the vastly different interpretations the professional photographers on the Internet chose in labeling their photographs. this theme was the hardest to judge of all so far "abstract" cam be interpreted in as many different ways as there are photographers and so many pictures were so good.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 I don't want you to leave either. I was enjoying the debate with you over the thoughts of photography. I'm sorry if you took it any other way.
Re: Last Photographer Standing #2 To everyone: One thing! All photographs take effort and everybody deserves a big thumb up, high and low five and a big huge for that! After saying that: This photocompetition is for fun and to learn. Discussion is fine because we can learn from it. It is also hard to discuss, critisising and getting critisism. Do keep in mind that your photo gets the critics and not you! I'll stay with my decision that you can give "I don't think it fits the theme" as a critic since we DO work with themes here and I have an outside the box minded brain. And I want to give the people the benefit of that. But that also means that other people don't see that outside the box thing as the given theme. And that is a learning thing. I hope you all can uderstand that! And that doesn't give away the fact that I do draw a line with accepting photos. It's hard to make such decisions because the people in this thread have two different point of views and I have to say either yes or no. If I stay in between you get the discussion over and over again without an end and me switching from one side to another. I hope people can understand that! I do read all the votes and the critics people give and look to the photo it has been given too. If I really think it is inapropriate I do not count that vote! Trust me! And I am hoping that the ones not agreeing with that opinion are not completly mad at me. I tend to feel bad about it. Also with the whole manupulation thing that we had here. I also have trouble making those dissisions since I took over from Wibble and those discussions started after I did that. I do not want to finish what Wibble started. I want to continue it. But as said before I think if I don't make a decision about it, it is a whole lot worse and people will continue a then endless dicussion about it. As said beofre there are two sides here and it is either yes or no! I can't just make it okay for both sides like I tried to do with the things that some did and did not see as manipulation of photos. Hmmz I actually wanted to make a small post to reduce the discussion. For the ones that like to make photos for themselves and not others. I am one of those, I am not a professional and I never want to make it my job even though some people in my circle here at home wants me to go do that! I discoverd that after my course where I had to please the professional photographer. I do attend competition at another forum. Just to see what people think and mostly to see if there are critics among it that can help me on my personal hunt for images THAT I LIKE. I do take the critics but discard them just as hard when I feel like it. For me it is more like: Hey maybe I can try it the way that one member said once. See what happens. Sometimes that images gets deleted just as fast or stays unnoticed on my harddrive for anyone to see. While that shot can be the one that everybody else likes. The one thing I do know now is that everybody relates different to a photograph. And that makes it that you are having guts and true confidence to keep loving your own photo and you are totally entitled to that. Now read over this post another time before typing something about the whole theme discussion! And try to get some peace at heart from it! [offtopic] @Drumchik: Tnx, I passed this part of the exam. It went fine but not good [/offtopic] and uh sorry for the possible language mistakes!