Photo Challenge 6: Judging

rymus

Same ol' same ol'; no need for further waffle.

Pictures are here - http://www.rymus.utvinternet.com/photochallenge/6/

go forth and pimp this poll

Shrimp

Why isn't mine there rymus? I most definatly emailed it to you.. On the first or second day of the comp if i remember correctly.

Subliminal

Some great pics there ( Excluding Mine ) i voted for 10, very imaginative i thought.

mayordenis

looks like some great shots haven't voted yet theres so much more choice compared to the last comp.

is it me or did the numbers all change???

Oriel

Would somebody care to pimp this competition again?
After Hours is a good place to start :-)

Oriel

Ta, slumped

slumped

I've pimped in After Hours. Had to make my 100th post special!

Vote for mine!

S

Saruman

some nice ones.. i like 6 though... Thought the lizard one was funny and the spiderweb was excellent too.

UberNewb

Mine should be there as well?

I did email it to you! It's an action shot of some buddies of mine doing some training.

Hope you like it.

Feel The Pain

Cianos

Can anyone get in on this comp?

Lisapeep

Well,the closing date for entries for this particular competition has passed. However, a new competiton should be starting towards the end of the month and anyone can enter. A notice will be put up on this board stating the theme of the competition, closing date etc.

Are you thinking of entering?

Shrimp

rymus aint doin his job. where is he?

Lisapeep

What do you mean he isn't doing his job?

rymus

I've only just gotten back from the northwest assmunch. As for the "not doing job" comment, I reserve the right to smack you about the place later on in response to that one.

I never got your email.

Uber, never got your email either. That shot doesn't exactly qualify as macro either...

Shrimp

rymus wrote:

I've only just gotten back from the northwest assmunch. As for the "not doing job" comment

I was just kidding! I actually did enter it, now weather or not you got it I cant say, prolly some sever thing. Anyways, this was the image I tried to send:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/23404489/

Tiriel

really good choice this time in the comp. good to see so many entries!

condra

Some great pics there!
Makes me wanna get back into photography and NOT sell my camera! Im poor now though and need to focus on my music, maybe after christmas Ill buy a camera and start snapping again.

My vote - 15 - because getting good macros of still stuff is hard enough, but getting interesting insect interaction is even more difficult. In the summer I had a colony of ants in my garden. Absolutely fascinating creatures and great to shoot if you have a good macro camera. I miss my ant friends.

Subliminal

<< Violin Plays >>

Sob.. mine is the only one that hasnt got a vote:(

i DO accept pity votes btw!!:D

LegacyUser

i went with 12, nice pic

whyulittle

Just a suggestion as to the running of the comp. Would it be better to make a shortlist of ten for judging? I thought that already was the case when the last one had ten. It's just that the votes seem to be very spread out over 17 entries this time. 11 down to 7 to 5 to 3 etc etc. Particularly when there's no closing date as such, just when a clear winner emerges. Just a thought.

Lisapeep

I dont think that method of judging would be as good - it's better to let the public decide the entire outcome! Who would make the shortlist? It would be a very subjective descision, with one person perhaps loving a particular photo and another person absolutely hating it! Better to get a general consensus!

ae428nc1wvr5bg

My first post on this photography thread. I figured that if people are submitting their photographs to a competition, they're prepared for criticism. But before I start, and if you're wondering why you should bother listening to me, I should tell you that I'm currently studying photography full-time at a rather fine institution in Stockholm, Sweden.

1. Technically this is a good capture. Good exposure, good focus and good contrast. Well done also for finding a decently clean background. The composition is a little straight, and this picture would be fitting in a entomology textbook. Great effort.
2. Not a bad effort, but a few problems: Composition is a little too centred. I'd like to see the image cropped to, maybe, a 2x3 ratio and the bee a little off centre. Try to inject a little more dynamism into the composition. Secondly, the point of focus on the middle of the wing is a little annoying, as it makes both the head and the 'tail' slightly soft. I'd rather see the focus lie on the head. The white spots on the flower are over-exposed and distract the eye from the subject. Finally, it's kind of hard to see what the bee is actually doing.
3. What the hell is this? This is a catastrophe. To start naming problems: Horrible contrast, way too low. The over-exposed areas to left and top, with the associated fringing, are annoying. The flash light is way too flat on the texture (of the what? metal?) and too hard in the shadows in the eye sockets. Composition is bottom heavy and I turned my head on its side to see what this thing was, and still couldn't get it.
4. Nice idea (whether or not it was placed or found). Try cropping to just show the middle; don't just let the poor guy sit there in the middle. As with previous shots, poor post-processing. Boost contrast, at the very least.
5. A good capture technically. Composition is a little dull and it's hard to find a single part of the flower to focus on. And get rid of that black frame.
6. At this stage of the voting, a popular shot, and it's a good one, too. Yet again though, the composition is a little too centred, and the fronds on the left weigh down that side of the frame a little too much. Looks like you've clipped a few channels in the highlights, although the reflections on the water drop work well. Doesn't quite get my vote, but nearly.
7. This shot gets my vote of the lot. Has a clear subject (in contrast to shot #5) that is beautifully off-set against the light background. The overall colour scheme of the wood tones and the grey/blue works together very nicely. I like the out-of-focus (oof) pieces in the foreground and the restrained highlights in the middle piece. One small piece of criticism: the 'dark side' of the middle piece doesn't have much details and looks very flat -- probably outside the tonal range of your camera.
8. This shot comes a close second, in my opinion. Technically excellent and well processed; the colours are good and work together nicely; good sharpness and the gradual recession of sharpness towards the viewer works well. Misses out on my vote only because it's not a terribly interesting object to shoot. And get rid of that stupid frame!
9. Very annoying that this shot doesn't meet the maximum-of-800-pixels rule. If I could see the whole thing on my 12" Powerbook, I'd probably like it a lot. Macros really aren't my 'thing', and this shot really breaks the mould of flowers and insects. The blown-out highlights are a shame, as is 4x3 format. This should be at very least 2x3, if not narrower still. I'd guess that this photographer has a lot of potential.
10. As a black and white, this is a bad example. Contrast is too low. It's annoying that just the tip of the left foot is cut off by the (annoying) frame. Not quite close enough for a macro by my definition, but it's a nice example of a creative answer to the cliché flowers-and-insects combo that I've mentioned previously. Good effort; poor processing.
11. Another popular shot among the commenters (not that that's a real word), but the blown-out highlights just spoil the image. It's clearly a situation that is going to fool the camera's metering system, and if anything I'm surprised you got as much detail in the bee as you did. A pretty good shot that loses out on technical matters.
12. This is not a bad shot, given how metal can be a difficult material to shoot. The composition is a little bottom-heavy and a little heavy on the right. The sharp droplets on the top-left draw the eye away from the main subject, which is annoying.
13. Basically, a relatively boring shot. Neither close enough to be interesting nor far out enough. The backlighting provided by the sky is dull and lacks contrast, and the sky is blown out. Next time, fire the flash.
14. An okay shot, I suppose, as a desktop background or something. Little annoying that the pattern doesn't continue in the top-right corner. Looks a bit over-sharpened, too. Is that dust on your neg at the bottom?
15. A great 'action' shot of insects which is a lot more interesting than the insect in shot #2. It's not the sharpest image in the world, which I can forgive, but the colours are dull and the contrast is too low. The crop is too square, IMO. Gets my Merit award. Excellent effort.
16. Boring. Highlights blown out. Dust just looks dirty, not interesting. Next!
17. Not a bad black-and-white, but unless that is one microscopic crab, not much of a macro. Decent sense of action; judicious use of motion blur. Among the better shots in this selection.

condra

Blixt these people are mostly HOBBYISTS.

you fcukin patronising arsehole.

Subliminal

LOL i accept critism from people who have valid opinions. Your a Twat, so therefore i consider you as a nothing. Your first post on these threads, and you act like a complete a**hole. Boy, cant wait for your future bells of wisdom:rolleyes: You study Photography in sweden, Maybe you need to do a course in diplomacy and tact. Full time of course. As for my pic ( No. 16 ) this was my VERY FIRST macro attempt, on my first real camera. How about posting some of your sample pics first, before you look down on other ppl's work. That said, welcome to the Photo forum :cool:

Lisapeep

Blix, I think that some of your comments would be discouraging to people who have only started taking photos and have little experience! Also, I dont think that most of the people who vote here would take some of the technical points, that you made, into account or even notice those technical details!

For example, I've no idea what you mean by "highlights" and calling alot of the efforts "annoying" doesn't help either!

whyulittle

In fairness though, if you look back over their post, they say positive things about most of the photos. Perhaps they could have just worded some of it a bit better.

No harm in a giving technical critique either. No. 13 for example, seems to be a good practical tip to bring the sky into it more that they may not have known? Do you not enter to try and improve your ability?

And at the end of the day, it's just one lad's opinion!

Lisapeep

whyulittle wrote:

In fairness though, if you look back over their post, they say positive things about most of the photos. Perhaps they could have just worded some of it a bit better.

Yes, I think you're right there. I have to say that I was glad to receive constructive criticism on my entry. Perhaps we should be more critical here to help others to take better photos in future.

How bout in future, we ask everybody to come up with some constructive criticism for each entry? That could be quite good!

mayordenis

its the best reply i have to seen to these competitions it mentioned every picture and was honest.
more people giving really meaty replies like that would help.

Rhyme

Criticism accepted, i know i have to get better at this... it was after i took the shot that i realised my camera has a macro mode :rolleyes:

eas

Blixt - although I think most of your critiques are accurate, your approach is one that I would certainly expect from a student, and a young one at that. I suspect your motives to be more in line with inflating your ego than improving others photography.

Tiriel

think that Blixt's post isn't so far off.. though it is critical it is nice to hear.. but in relation to post shot processing etc. no I personally didn't do any.. it's au natural!! Anyway.. it's a bit of fun

Karoma

When you post your photo's to be judged, and they're judged any way (Whether positive or otherwise) - you cannot really complain. Especially, when the chaps criticism is both relatively accurate ("Relatively" as much is opinion and not fact) , and constructive. Also, some of those that took it to heart - may wish to re-read the criticism, as most of it is actually somewhat positive and if not-well,it's a good starting point and it's a lot of feedback). Granted,some of the criticism could have been better phrased.. but to those: it's just one posters opinion. Keep going!:)

As for post-processing criticism: fair point really, however, i'd ask that you keep in mind that contestants are restricted..but i see your point on this.

Now,as for this anti-centering demand: i am personally sick to my ****ing teeth of this one-size-fits-all-shots lark. It is generally beneficial to a shot, I agree - but not every shot! I seem to be alone on this..

unklerosco

# Very annoying that this shot doesn't meet the maximum-of-800-pixels rule. If I could see the whole thing on my 12" Powerbook, I'd probably like it a lot. Macros really aren't my 'thing', and this shot really breaks the mould of flowers and insects. The blown-out highlights are a shame, as is 4x3 format. This should be at very least 2x3, if not narrower still. I'd guess that this photographer has a lot of potential.

the only potential i have is getting my camera licked by my dog!!! i should resize my pics, i always forget to...

whyulittle

Any sign of wrapping up this one, and starting a new challenge for November?

Shrimp

good idea whyulittle.

rymus

tomorrow is the end of the month.. sit on your hands for another few hours.

Goodshape

Voted for number 8, 11 being a close second imo but 8 wins out by being a slightly more interesting shot (colours, contrast, texture).

Some good photos all round.

rymus

Done and done. Would have finished up yesterday but was too busy getting drunk & eating sweeties. Now I feel utterly vomiticious.

See winners thread for further infromotions...

muttzer

whyulittle wrote:

Just a suggestion as to the running of the comp. Would it be better to make a shortlist of ten for judging? I thought that already was the case when the last one had ten. It's just that the votes seem to be very spread out over 17 entries this time. 11 down to 7 to 5 to 3 etc etc. Particularly when there's no closing date as such, just when a clear winner emerges. Just a thought.

Its a gud idea, also maybe if u could vote for the pics u thinks should comes 1st, 2nd and 3rd by awarding points, 1st= 3points, 2nd= 2points, and finally 3rd 1point. Its just a suggestion. would love to here wat you all think!

Merrion

paperclip wrote:

i went with 12, nice pic

Thanks - you represent 25% of my fan base ;-)