Seems like everyone is working together on this, I'm getting excited.
Going to start checking on the other essentials:
Team Uniforms
Cheerleaders
Sponsors (checking with local bail bondsman on that one)
Mascot
BTW, when does the season start?
If its this week, I sure hope y'all got some goods shots entered, cause mine aren't doing that well.
Yeah, my scores are at an all time consistent LOW. In fact, I'm getting really down about it. I mean, I know I have a lot to learn, but OUCH! Good thing is, I don't believe the season has started yet. I think there has to be a roster sent in, then they send us an "invite" or something, that we each have to accept. I believe. What ever you do though, do not trust me on that!
I know the season has not started, in fact the official rules will be posted in a few days (or so it was stated elsewhere in the forums). I am looking at the next few weeks as practice, until recently I had not entered a challenge in over a year. A few weeks practice will do me a world of good.
I just need to remember what the voters are looking for. I want to be a part of this team for entirely selfish reasons. This will force me out of my rut and MAKE me strive to take more and better photos.
Langdon said real rules soon to come. We'll see what they've done then.
I've got pictures in the 30 day portrait challenge, and end of month doing a "party" (friend sells mary Kay, so we're getting together, she makes them up in different styles/characters, then I get to shoot em :) I'll wipe out the last week or so of the challenge in one day!
Seems like everyone is working together on this, I'm getting excited.
Going to start checking on the other essentials:
Team Uniforms
Cheerleaders
Sponsors (checking with local bail bondsman on that one)
Mascot
Ok since there is an undertermined amount of time between now and the start of the season. What are we doing?
I am suggesting that we take this time to get to know one anothers work, and to learn how to HELP each other submit better photos. I'm available to any of you to use as a sounding board, and I hope the same is true of you as well. Any picture I look at for you and comment on that you do submit afterward of course I will NOT vote on, so that there is never a question of favoritism.
I believe this joint effort could help all of us become better and better.
Hey Ches. I was glad to see this in the forum today! Thanks again for being such a great listener! I'm looking forward to getting a better eye for photography and composition. Also, I look forward to any feedback anyone might have for me. Thanks again everyone!
We are in the process of setting up a studio in our kitchen (only room we can sorta control the light in) and I'm thinking once we do gonna do lots more pictures of junk for challenges (cause that's what they seem to like) and lots more of children, friends, animals etc for ME.
I would have to disagree with you on that one James. Don't avoid the kids, just avoid the snapshot of the kids. This is one of my top scoring entries:
And here is the second place spinning that just ended:
If you look at past challenges, you'll find kid shots in almost every challenge. The shots that don't score good are the shots that would look awesome in a parent's scrapbook, but not too good in an art gallery or something. So you just have to make sure that you avoid the "snapshot" look at all costs and plan your shot more than just firing away at your kid doing something cute.
Scott I love the ones of your daughter in particular. Posing or standing in one place is NOT something mine will do you have to catch her.
I'd love to know how you set up your studio... it seems so outrageously expensive. And thank you for puttting your editing techniques on the pics so we can try to do them too.
I was doing really well in the Contre-jour challenge this morning before I left for work. It put me in a great mood and I hummed around the kitchen all morning. When I got home and checked again, my score has fallen almost a half of a point, and someone left me an extremely rude message. When I checked other comments this p[articular man has left for others, I see he has never entered a challenge, and is rude to almost everyone else too.
Does not make me feel better, but at least I am not the first to live through this.
I was doing really well in the Contre-jour challenge this morning before I left for work. It put me in a great mood and I hummed around the kitchen all morning. When I got home and checked again, my score has fallen almost a half of a point, and someone left me an extremely rude message. When I checked other comments this p[articular man has left for others, I see he has never entered a challenge, and is rude to almost everyone else too.
Does not make me feel better, but at least I am not the first to live through this.
I sure do hate it when that happens. I have received some of those in the past as well. Just take it with a grain of salt.
I try and leave a lot of comments on photos when I am voting, but my philosophy is that although it feels good to receive a comment like "Oh, I love this photo" or "What an awesome capture", and then have that image finish at 5.xxxx or 6.xxxx, I would rather receive a small compliment but also an explanation as to why my image is only average. So that is generally how I comment as well. I will try and tell what points I think are strong in an image, and also what points I think make it just an average photo instead of a ribbon winner.
I'd love to know how you set up your studio... it seems so outrageously expensive.
I can't remember how much I have in my studio equipment, but it's not near as much as I have in my camera. I purchased it bit by bit over a year or so, but I still don't have too much. I have one Alien Bees 400, a Manfrotto backdrop stand, one white roll and one gray cloth backdrop, that's it. I would recommend just a light to begin, and then go from there. If you're creative enough, which I am not, you can use that with an interesting wall in your house for the backdrop. Some of my photos with a black background were just taken late at night, and I just limited the flash to the subject so the background did not have any detail in it. Otherwise you would just see a couch, or a table, or a mess from my kids, or something like that.
[quote]And thank you for puttting your editing techniques on the pics so we can try to do them too. [/quote]
Well you're welcome. When I browse through images and see shots I like, I always like to look at the details of both the equipment used and the editing done so I can get an idea of how to do something myself, so I try and put at least some pieces to that puzzle every time I upload an image.
