I was totally shocked at the score I got for the "Letter B" challenge. Note that I'm not saying angry or mad, since, as I've mentioned, when 100+ folks vote on an image, one generally gets the score one deserves. Never the less, I was surprised that my entry did as poorly as it did.
I just cannot for the life of me figure out what makes a good DPC photo. And don't get me wrong. This isn't one of those "no one gets my art, so screw 'em" posts. I am going for a ribbon every time! It's just not happening.
Anyway, would any of my out takes have done better?
I cant figure it out either... I thought maybe it was bright colourful photos that did well, but when I enter these types they do bad, yet when I enter really dark moody shots (the opposite to what I thought DPC liked) I end up getting good scores. Just look at the top 4 in my profile! I just don't know :P
i dont think that subtle, hinting pics do well. which is, to me, what yours is, the way you seem to be peeking over a rise to see the wave break.
i believe "hit em over the head with how obviously cool this is" do better.
of course this is a) just my speculation, and b) a generalization - like all generalizations, there are exceptions, for example the 2nd place country life pic, imo.
I voted it 7, though if it had been in a challenge of, say, 'boundaries' or 'seaside' or even 'liquid' or 'green', it might well have gotten 8 or 9. When you have to explain why it fits the topic, it'll do less well.
I think there are 2 approaches that I take to my challenge photos.
1 - Colorful, crisp, creative
2 - emotive, sentimental, in a classic style (see Sonifo's last 2 blue ribbons and indigos red in Office art)
Then there is kind of the "wildcard" category that will 99 out of 100 times not win you a ribbon. You may get a good score, but likely not a ribbon. My personal wildcard has been Infrared stuff. I've done 2 and both have done fairly well, but no winners. My last one did well. Honestly I thought it would do a little better, maybe even a ribbon. But it doesn't follow one of the formulas. I thought it was more of a "classic" style, but didn't really have the emotive element I was looking for. (classic to me, is sort of cliche. I don't know how to better describe it).
The wave picture is a decent picture, but it doesn't establish mood really well. It doesn't have the real stunning visual impact (the "hit them upside the head") that the higher scoring pictures generally have.
As I don't need them any more ...
bod's Rules for winning on DPC:
(Disclaimer: YMMV, doesn't take into account phases of the moon, pollen count or how strong last nights curry was - all of which may effect the votes you receive)
Impact. This is the most important rule. Meet this rule well enough and all the other rules don't matter any more. Submit an image that shouts '10'. If the initial impression isn't a 10 then you stand little chance of getting marked up.
Hit the challenge on the head - don't give the voter the slightest chance to mark you down (more true for the open challenges ... a sheep is apparently not really country life, the voting really has got that picky).
Don't break any of the 'golden' rules - rule of thirds, cropping rules, exposure rules, keep your entire image in focus if possible - these can all be seen as faults by enough of the voters to hurt you bad.
Be careful not to have too much detail in the bottom 10% of the tonal range - many voters will just see a black area.
I've been breaking these rules on a regular basis recently, and have become Mr 5.8 ... oh well, I did say I wanted to be consistant : )
welcher - your shot is very nice, just not obvious enough to satisfy rule 1. It's all downhill from there I'm afraid!
Welcher posits a good question, whose answer is good to remind ourselves: you may have a fantastic photo, even it if did not score well on DPC! Many of my favorites did not do so well here, but they are still awesome photos!
It's also good to remember that DPC is a site often for beginners in this field, and they may not, as a group, realize that things like grain and soft blur can be a good thing.
i dont think that subtle, hinting pics do well. which is, to me, what yours is, the way you seem to be peeking over a rise to see the wave break.
i believe "hit em over the head with how obviously cool this is" do better.
of course this is a) just my speculation, and b) a generalization - like all generalizations, there are exceptions, for example the 2nd place country life pic, imo.
I think you're right. It has to be seen as a great photography within 2 seconds of viewing it. It has to be unique or uniqely captured, and it has to have a wow factor of some kind.
Wow. I definitely didn't mean for this to turn into a "why we have to shoot for the lowest common denominatory for the masses" thread. As I said, I THOUGHT I was already doing that! Though it's apparent from this thread that my passion for the ocean may be clouding my judgement a bit.
Did any of the other photos from my out takes pique anyone's interest? Either the other wave photos, or the completely different beach houses photo?
I was totally shocked at the score I got for the "Letter B" challenge. Note that I'm not saying angry or mad, since, as I've mentioned, when 100+ folks vote on an image, one generally gets the score one deserves. Never the less, I was surprised that my entry did as poorly as it did.
I just cannot for the life of me figure out what makes a good DPC photo. And don't get me wrong. This isn't one of those "no one gets my art, so screw 'em" posts. I am going for a ribbon every time! It's just not happening.
Anyway, would any of my out takes have done better?
you are one of the few people around here that actually consistently get scores of 6 in challenges...that's saying something by itself
Welcher - Judging by your previous pictures on your profile page, you know what it takes. Sometimes it just doesn't work out though. What you think will do well doesn't and once in awhile, one that you submit just to have something in the challenge does real well. You never know... That's why we go thru the voting process, I reckon. Continue to submit good shots and good things happen. Not all of our tastes are the same.
Welcher - Judging by your previous pictures on your profile page, you know what it takes. Sometimes it just doesn't work out though. What you think will do well doesn't and once in awhile, one that you submit just to have something in the challenge does real well. You never know... That's why we go thru the voting process, I reckon. Continue to submit good shots and good things happen. Not all of our tastes are the same.
Bob
Don't get me wrong. I'm generally very pleased with my portfolio. And I have come close to some ribbons in my past. I merely made the ribbon comment originally to dispell any notion that I might be complaining about the voters here.
No, my point was simply shock at this particular score. Just completely threw me for a loop. And was wondering if I just chose the wrong picture, or if the whole concept was better in my (ocean-obsessed) head than in actuality.
