I goofed and submitted my enviro portrait in the fences challenge. Considering that it has nothing to do with a fence, it's doing pretty damn well (4.0 so far). I'm trying to decide whether to DQ myself. The only problem is that, if I do that, and then I goof again within the next 25 challenges, I could get suspended. That's pretty severe. So, I'll probably just leave it where it is. Any thoughts?
Have you contacted SC? Maybe they can switch you over. Just a thought.
For being my first challange I don't think that's bad at all. Of course always need room for improvement. The comment I received was not helpful at all.
Arrrgghh! Open your minds, voters, to what a portrait can actually be.
No comments yet, but I think that my score is lower because many people will think "That's a ______ shot, not a portrait." Sadly, only after the challenge is over will I be able to enlighten them to the fact that I was hired to produce this exact portrait.
Just because you were hired doesn't make it a portrait.
I have noticed a lot of the photos don't show the person's face or the person is the distance in profile. In my mind neither of these are portraits.
I just looked up the definition of portrait and every one mentions showing the face.
"portrait shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer"
" likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, that is created by a painter or photographer"
So I'm using that to judge whether the photo DNMC.
" likeness of a person, especially one showing the face, that is created by a painter or photographer"
So I'm using that to judge whether the photo DNMC.
Just bolded a bit, for your consideration. So if you ignore that section, a portrait is a likeness of a person, created by a photographer.
Doesn't matter to me, but limiting your views on things like this just hampers your own potential. I wonder how your views would change if you voted from the heart rather than the dictionary ? Does the picture tell you something about the person ? Inform you about their character, place in the world, life ? FWIW, my entry is close up and has the face visible, but some of the best environmental portraits of a person that I've seen show just things like their shoes, or hands.
As bad a mark as that is I am relived. I think its in a grey area heading towards DNMC and its technically very weak. If I get a mid 4 I'll be happy as its my first challenge and a picture I was very unhappy with. Now all I want are some comments.
Photograph a portrait that says something about the subject within the framework of their own environment.
So if the subject is tack sharp but the background sucks, then lets ding the person by voting it low. I didn't pose my subject but took the picture of them in their environment. In this case, I couldn't reposition them or I would have ended up either missing the shot or getting some people really mad.
Obviously, its not doing well, LOL. I just can't seem to figure out what the voters want and almost wished I hadn't entered the challenge.
I goofed and submitted my enviro portrait in the fences challenge. Considering that it has nothing to do with a fence, it's doing pretty damn well (4.0 so far). I'm trying to decide whether to DQ myself. The only problem is that, if I do that, and then I goof again within the next 25 challenges, I could get suspended. That's pretty severe. So, I'll probably just leave it where it is. Any thoughts?
Have you contacted SC? Maybe they can switch you over. Just a thought.
Thanks, but they said no. Oh well. It's no big deal.
I goofed and submitted my enviro portrait in the fences challenge. Considering that it has nothing to do with a fence, it's doing pretty damn well (4.0 so far). I'm trying to decide whether to DQ myself. The only problem is that, if I do that, and then I goof again within the next 25 challenges, I could get suspended. That's pretty severe. So, I'll probably just leave it where it is. Any thoughts?
Have you contacted SC? Maybe they can switch you over. Just a thought.
Thanks, but they said no. Oh well. It's no big deal.
I don't see the point of a self-DQ unless you discover you used the wrong rule set. Then self-DQ would save the SC a lot of time and bother. If the score and comments are bad, so what, why put yourself in the position of risking a possible suspension in the future?
Most people do not understand what an Environmental Portrait really is. It is a very specific technique that isn't open to a lot of interpretation. Blame it on "lack of openmindedness" or not being able to "think outside the box" if your shot is scoring low if you like. As debated in the prechallenge forum, just becuase you THINK something is an Environmental Portrait doesn't make it one.
If I enter a "Green" challenge and enter something blue and then get mad because people don't realize that blue is element of green doesn't mean I've met the challenge requirement. It's the same thing here.
I haven't voted yet and I tend not to give out sub 5 votes in any case, and I may not vote on this one at all, but don't expect a high vote average on a nice shot if it isn't an Environmental Portrait.
BTW - this is the exact same thing that happened in the first Environmental Portrait challenge.
I seriously doubt that a self-DQ is considered or weighted the same way as a rules violation DQ. The SC reserves the right to use their judgement in those matters. It's not cut and dry. Either choice you make, I'd suggest you not sweat it too much...unless you're prone to breaking the rules.
Timfythetoo-I'm betting your last 6 votes didn't make you happy??? Am I right? I dropped like a stone on my last round. Some unhappy voters out there.
Timfythetoo-I'm betting your last 6 votes didn't make you happy??? Am I right? I dropped like a stone on my last round. Some unhappy voters out there.
Sitting on a 6.86 still. Really cant complain as I had guessed a low 6 at best for my shot. But then I did expect a stronger array of images in the challenge so maybe I am doing better by default.
Most people do not understand what an Environmental Portrait really is. It is a very specific technique that isn't open to a lot of interpretation. Blame it on "lack of openmindedness" or not being able to "think outside the box" if your shot is scoring low if you like. As debated in the prechallenge forum, just becuase you THINK something is an Environmental Portrait doesn't make it one.
I'm curious to know who you think got together and 'defined' this specific technique.
Here's the American Society of Media Photographers take on 'environmental portraiture'
3 of the first page wouldn't meet your guidelines and it goes on from there through another 127 images. Many of them certainly are posed, looking at the camera and not candid. Many others are quite different. Some show the back of someone's head. Others are action candids of someone playing on stage. I notice Robert's great basketball shot is in there, too.
