re·flec·tion Pronunciation Key (r-flkshn) n. The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected. Something, such as light, radiant heat, sound, or an image, that is reflected.
Mental concentration; careful consideration. A thought or an opinion resulting from such consideration. An indirect expression of censure or discredit: a reflection on his integrity. A manifestation or result: Her achievements are a reflection of her courage.
Lina - IMO there are two ways of approaching a challenge with two very appropriate reactions to those approaches. Hit the challenge straight on, word for word, take your best shot and you can hope people "get it" and you score well. OR BE CREATIVE, take artistic license as much as want and enjoy the experience, but don't expect the masses to ALL appreciate it. Some people can only really think "inside the box". I don't claim to "get" every photo, but I try to assume the photographer has some sort of clue and I just don't follow it. Bottom Line: Take risks, but don't blame the masses for that risk.
To the general audience: Once in a while, try thinking outside the box.
Originally posted by jakking: Any picture this week that used the second definition got a 1 to 3 score from me. The challenge specifically mentioned a reflective surface.
actually, the challenge just mentioned not to use a mirror as your reflective surface -- there was no mention that one had to use a reflective surface....if my brain had been working that's the sort of photo i would have submitted, but it wasn't so i didn't :o)
heh, we had this debate at length yesterday. People read a whole lot of stuff into the challenge that isn't there.
It says take a picture of a reflection.
It then lists some restrictions.
Don't use a mirror.
Don't show your camera.
Take it this week
_ANYTHING_ else is in your particular interpretation. It says nothing about having to use a reflective surface, it says nothing about it having to a reflection created in glass, water or any other reflective surface.
I'm getting a bit bored of the overly literal discussions that seems to start from the perspective that this site has no business trying to do anything approximating anything to do with creativity or art.
I guess I just come from the other direction and start with the assumption that the main thing is creating an interesting, artistic entry, that is broadly within the scope of the challenge.
Nor do I vote by taking off points for specific flaws, as if I was trying to find all the mistakes.
That's true Gordon and we should not play with word too much and give the benefit of the doubt however .. we should still consider the challenge. You get the top of the shelf picture of a cat this week, one that would get a 10 if we were an 'animal' week, you're not going to give it a 10 this week right ? I think that would be a little unfair to people who try hard to meet the challenge.
Originally posted by jakking: Well, frankly, I think that is playing with language beyond the possibility of reason. But I'll leave it at that and my votes stand as they stand.
heehee! never said i was reasonable ;o) sometimes i wish this site had a "template" voters could use to cast votes with, but then, that would be soooo boring compared to controversial free-thinking votes...
There are a few photos this week that have noting to do with reflections. These photo's are quite nice, but it would be really silly if one of them won the challenge. There are always some people who send in some flower photo's, whatever the challenge. I think it's quit easy to take a nice picture of a beautiful flower, but it's quite difficult to make your trash look attractive.
I normally will commend the person for bravery and thinking outside the box. But if you want to get a good vote, it had better be a VERY good shot.
Personally, I would be more impressed if someone that wanted to use the 2nd definition, framed it within the 1st definition. A reflection (in a reflective surface) of someone reflecting (deep in thought). Had anyone done THAT, I would have been very impressed and would have tacked on extra points...
Originally posted by myqyl: I normally will commend the person for bravery and thinking outside the box. But if you want to get a good vote, it had better be a VERY good shot.
Personally, I would be more impressed if someone that wanted to use the 2nd definition, framed it within the 1st definition. A reflection (in a reflective surface) of someone reflecting (deep in thought). Had anyone done THAT, I would have been very impressed and would have tacked on extra points...
Originally posted by myqyl: I normally will commend the person for bravery and thinking outside the box. But if you want to get a good vote, it had better be a VERY good shot.
Personally, I would be more impressed if someone that wanted to use the 2nd definition, framed it within the 1st definition. A reflection (in a reflective surface) of someone reflecting (deep in thought). Had anyone done THAT, I would have been very impressed and would have tacked on extra points...
Hmmm, why didn't I DO that then?!?
myqyl - I tried to do that in my entry. Once voting is complete let me know how you think I did. At the time I did it I thought it was pretty clever but with a couple of days sleep and a fresh perspective I'm not so sure now.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/1/2002 6:06:18 PM.
Originally posted by myqyl: I normally will commend the person for bravery and thinking outside the box. But if you want to get a good vote, it had better be a VERY good shot.
Personally, I would be more impressed if someone that wanted to use the 2nd definition, framed it within the 1st definition. A reflection (in a reflective surface) of someone reflecting (deep in thought). Had anyone done THAT, I would have been very impressed and would have tacked on extra points...
Hmmm, why didn't I DO that then?!?
Originally posted by GordonMcGregor: I tried...
Upon reflection I should have submitted my other photo...
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/1/2002 6:49:33 PM.
I think ala Jakking's voting technique I will give anyone that used a reflective surface for this challenge between a 1 and a 3. Because that's not how *I* read the the challenge.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/2/2002 2:14:40 AM.
Any reasoning along those lines simply does violence to the English language and to logic. the terms of the challenge state "do not use a mirror as your reflective surface..." There cannot be a sensible reading of that that doesn't conclude that there must be a reflective surface producing the reflection, and that a mirror cannot be used to create that surface. But there is enough illogic in this world, I suppose, for even that simple statement to be deliberately misinterpreted.
However, my biggest disappointment is that the person setting this challenge doesn't stop all this bandwidth wastage by coming out and clarifying what was meant. This seems to be a conscious act of omission on their part.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/2/2002 6:13:10 AM.
When I see someone who has interpreted the challenge differently to the way I interpreted it I'm inclined to congratulate them on their creativity and mark them UP for it.
Perhaps Im unusual in this respect but I think it's valuable and important to teach ourselves to think more creatively.
Originally posted by floyd: When I see someone who has interpreted the challenge differently to the way I interpreted it I'm inclined to congratulate them on their creativity and mark them UP for it.
Perhaps Im unusual in this respect but I think it's valuable and important to teach ourselves to think more creatively.
John
You will be shot at dawn for such heresy!
Once you study photography (or any art) long enough you will understand that one of the key ingredients to becoming a better photographer is the ability to break from rigid interpretations to show new avenues.
Unfortunately, too many treat the challenge as a homework assignment that only has one answer out of a book. Its a riddle that must be solved or a rubics cube that must conclude with all sides being the same color.
There is a wide universe between the obvious and literal (anything reflecting in anything else, like water or galss, meets the challenge) and the "so creative only me and another person get it".
There is metaphor, of course, the apparent reflection, the illusion of the illusion (reflections are, after all, illusions), iteration (reflection of a reflection of a reflection), etc. Departing a little from the obvious is not "thinking outside the box" anymore than being obscure and bizarre is necessarily creative.
If you are not creative in some way, you take snapshots, ot photographs. In the case of a photographic challenge, I would believe that there is an implicit understanding beyond the wording of the challenge: "take a good, creative, expressive photograph of this". If we do not take this into account, anything can be solved with shots of babies and flowers.
The above is a subjective view presented as a personal statement and in no way pretends to impose a view on others.
Had this challenge been simply "Reflections without Mirrors," none of this would have arisen; the problem lying, as it always does, in the follow-on phrases.
This whole thing leads me to agree with John Setzler's position. Challenges should be one word with NO explanatory sentences.
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement : ) . .
Originally posted by jakking: However, my biggest disappointment is that the person setting this challenge doesn't stop all this bandwidth wastage by coming out and clarifying what was meant.
