Look. Look at it another way. If you're creeping up down up on your average score by mean little increments, where are you headed with your photography? Better to go down in flames nine times out of ten, if the tenth is an unexpected triumph: a new way for you. That's what progress is really about, isn't it? Crashing and burning, and then soaring? One soar is worth a score of pyres. If you're worried about protecting your average score, your wish is very likely to be granted ... and you'll be reliably average. A dismal fate. Buy some golf clubs instead. At least you'll reliably win a frozen chicken every Saturday.
Thanks for the reminder. Anyway, after as many challenges as I have entered my average has so much inertia that it barely moves no matter how good or bad my next challenge entry scores. I need to take more risks and hope to occasionally soar.
Look. Look at it another way. If you're creeping up down up on your average score by mean little increments, where are you headed with your photography? Better to go down in flames nine times out of ten, if the tenth is an unexpected triumph: a new way for you. That's what progress is really about, isn't it? Crashing and burning, and then soaring? One soar is worth a score of pyres. If you're worried about protecting your average score, your wish is very likely to be granted ... and you'll be reliably average. A dismal fate. Buy some golf clubs instead. At least you'll reliably win a frozen chicken every Saturday.
ETA: on the other hand, my own 2K score is mid-5s which is ... my average. Fore!
Don't discount the value in the process of continual refinement of one's art.
You have rated 91 of 264 images (34%) in this challenge.
You have commented on 91 images (34%) in this challenge.
I am guessing that my random order is giving me the bad photos first. From the 91 that I have looked at about 1/2 are decent photos of about a 5 with maybe 1/4 above a 5 and the last 1/4 below 5 and pushing the 1 area. Maybe I am being to hard but this is a challenge where you can enter pretty much any photo you have ever taken. I kind of expect the quality to be top notch and not what looks like it's a snapshot from a phone.
You have rated 91 of 264 images (34%) in this challenge.
You have commented on 91 images (34%) in this challenge.
I am guessing that my random order is giving me the bad photos first. From the 91 that I have looked at about 1/2 are decent photos of about a 5 with maybe 1/4 above a 5 and the last 1/4 below 5 and pushing the 1 area. Maybe I am being to hard but this is a challenge where you can enter pretty much any photo you have ever taken. I kind of expect the quality to be top notch and not what looks like it's a snapshot from a phone.
anything you have not already entered, where you have a valid (unaltered) original.
that narrows things down for a lot of us, and of what's left, sometimes "looks like a snapshot" are all that there are because we're hobbyists and not professionals.
just saying...
I had a lot of photos in my archive that looked like snapshots but had some meaning to me or that I really liked for whatever reason, but I went with one that obviously took effort and it seems to be getting a reasonable score.
No idea what I'll submit if we do a best-of-2014 challenge though... probably a snapshot.
You have rated 91 of 264 images (34%) in this challenge.
You have commented on 91 images (34%) in this challenge.
I am guessing that my random order is giving me the bad photos first. From the 91 that I have looked at about 1/2 are decent photos of about a 5 with maybe 1/4 above a 5 and the last 1/4 below 5 and pushing the 1 area. Maybe I am being to hard but this is a challenge where you can enter pretty much any photo you have ever taken. I kind of expect the quality to be top notch and not what looks like it's a snapshot from a phone.
anything you have not already entered, where you have a valid (unaltered) original.
that narrows things down for a lot of us, and of what's left, sometimes "looks like a snapshot" are all that there are because we're hobbyists and not professionals.
just saying...
i agree with Kobba, a lot of the shots were underwhelming. im giving the hobbyists hobby-level votes, and the pros pro-level votes.
anything you have not already entered, where you have a valid (unaltered) original.
Is one reason I always shoot and keep my RAW files. It also helps when new software comes out that is able to do things that previously was not possible. Storage is so cheap now that there really is no reason not keep unaltered originals, RAW or JPG (how ever you shoot).
... and not what looks like it's a snapshot from a phone.
Of course it is possible to make images with a phone other than "snapshots":
iPhone 6, score 6.9
iPhone 5s, score 6.75
iPhone 5, score 6.6
iPhone 4s, score 7.07
iPhone 3gs, score 6.67
iPhone 3gs, score 6.0
Just saying.
... and not what looks like it's a snapshot from a phone.
Of course it is possible to make images with a phone other than "snapshots":
iPhone 6, score 6.9
iPhone 5s, score 6.75
iPhone 5, score 6.6
iPhone 4s, score 7.07
iPhone 3gs, score 6.67
iPhone 3gs, score 6.0
Just saying.
Only if half the entries were even half this good, unfortunately they are not.
You have rated 257 of 263 images (98%) in this challenge.
You have commented on 23 images (9%) in this challenge.
I'm hoping my score will not drop under 5.8, but I don't think that is realistic :) However, I have received 4 lovely and constructive comments that will keep my spirit up regardless.
Slightly over a six right now, and following the same pattern my free study did. It won't finish over six.
You maybe pleasantly surprised. There might be a last moment flurry of positive votes near the end. It has happened to me more than once.
I changed my entry the day before voting started & an automated message said that I should put in a larger photograph as smaller ones get marked down. When voting started I was in the low 5's for quite some time & I was thinking why didn't I stick to the original photograph?
