Okay so this is my first time voting and my first entry. The first thing I did when I saw the challenge was look up the word in the dictionary and the thesaurus. So my question is looking at these photos, how do I vote. Is the most important thing for the picture to define desolation (in one of its many forms), or is it most important for it to be a clean sharp “photographic’ image. I would think that even if the photo is one of the best I have ever seen that if it does not really describe desolation that I would need to score lower for it. Please let me know how you feel on the subject.
You'll get lot's of opinionated responses on this question! I'll just make my suggestion general: vote based on whatever appeals to you as the most important aspects of the competition.
Some people put lots of emphasis on meeting the challenge - doesn't meet the challenge, give it a 1. Some people put no emphasis on the challenge - they see it as simply a means of spurring creativity. For them, a totally off topic but beautiful picture might get a 10. Some people put more emphasis on technical aspects, others on first impression - the "wow factor". Some people have grading systems, others just make it up as they go along. Some people are just grumpy and vote everything low - others are giddy and vote everyting high.
Personally, I try to find a balance between all those.
I feel this topic to be more of a photo-journalism type of challenge. Find and record.
The technical portion might not be as important to me this time as it usually is, if the topic is strong in the shot. :<)
Josie, my take on DPChallenge is that the challenge is, foremost, to take a photograph which FITS THE CHALLENGE. Otherwise it could be "Submit any old picture and call it OK", and if people complain about it you can always respond that they are trying to constrain your artistic freedom. Yeah, yeah, I hear it now that "interpretation" of the challenge is always a matter of individual conscience. Sometimes that can be true. However, if the challenge is "Desolation" it is something of a stretch to show a droopy flower, or a puppy who piddled on the carpet, as a really serious effort to depict that title.
When the challenge photos are displayed, you will instantly recognize those which display the full meaning of "Desolation" in the most profound human sense.
A caution...this does not mean that a photograph of a pretty girl sitting in the window of an abandoned building will not take the prize. THAT is the wonder and mystery of voters in our DPC community.
