Hey dunno if you remember me but at least one of you does because I just receieved a note asking where I've been. This caught me by surprise. To be honest, I had become disappointed in my own submissions. I think it got to the point where I just always wanted something to submit to feel like a part of the whole process. Now I look back and know what challenges I should have just sat back and enjoyed others' entries. I feel bad for just totally giving up... because there's so much more to be gained from this site than ribbons.
Today in my photo class we put up our "motion" assignment prints. He enjoyed my long exposures of a water fountain and of a bus stop with people still while cars are going by. When he got to my concert photos, which were taken at a faster shutter speed to 'stop' the action, he said to me... "Katie, these are excellent captures of what this band looked like. However, I have no sense of how the show made you feel. After class I showed him how on my proof sheet I had several shots taken with longer exposures. He said "Katie! These are excellent! Why in the world didn't you show me these?"
Here's where DPChallenge comes in. It's been so pounded into my head that photographs have to be perfectly sharp that I'd forgotten that photographs are about what we want people to see, not replications of what we already know to be true.
So that's just something to think about.
I have to agree that the "everything must be tack sharp" concept can be a bit out of hand here, but it's not always the case. Look at my entry in the Sports challenge.
It has a LOT of blur.
Anyway, I hope you stick around and at least post some photos, even if you don't participate in the challenges.
I've always thought the "DPC voters" got a bit of a bum rap on the sharpness vs. blur issue. I don't think that everything has to be pin sharp to be appreciated, just that its much more difficult to do a shot that includes some sort of blur (motion, soft focus, etc.) in a way that both enhances the shot and displays intent (i.e. I meant to make this blurry/soft, it wasn't an accident). Spazmo's is a great example of that - it's clear that this came out (presumably) as he intended it. I think that creating a photo that uses blur or softness to effect is a skill that has to be developed, just like other skills. I suspect the photos that use blur or soft focus that do poorly either didn't use them well, or suffered from other issues.
Oh, and by the way, welcome back Katie. :) I look forward to your next entry. And I'd also like to see those motion photos. Were they digital, or film?
This class is an intro - all black & white film.
I went back into the lab today to print the ones my teacher suggested - I felt this one turned out the best (I toned it on the computer):
I really like Bus Stop. As others mentioned, the sharp, still figure waiting for the bus contrasted with the blur of the cars going by makes this a strong image.
