I wanted to drop everyone who frequents DPC a big thanks for all that this community provides to its members. Over the past 3 years, I have really had a great opportunity to learn a great deal about photography, whether it be simplifying my composition of shots, thinking about lighting in a more complete way, or through post processing.
This site is a gold mine of information and resources for all things digital photography and has really been a pleasure to stop by and see what is happening. We have some excellent members, too many to mention (because if I do list any this forum post will go on for pages!) that inspire in so many ways from those who leave awesome and inspiring comments, to those who provide such great tips and assistance on pre-production and post processing and the business side, to those who inspire us to take risks and deliver a story instead of just an image. Thanks to all
The reason I was inspired to write this is a small example of what i have picked up in the 3 years here. A woman I know took some pictures of my kids at a track meeting that I could not attend. The photo is really nice as it shows by two boys passing the baton. Unfortunately, there were a lot of distractions in the foreground and background that stole a bit from the image. But, with the skills I have had a chance to practice by participating in DPC for these 3 years and reading the various tutorials and picking the brains of some really helpful people here at DPC, I was able to take a crack at editing this.
So, thanks again folks for all the help! I can't wait to see what I am going to learn in the next 3 years....
Thanks for the props Robert. It is funny about this place. I originally had a bunch of names of DPCers in the original message I planned to send out. The funnier part is that five of the people I originally planned on mentioning have ended up commenting on the photo within the first few hours.
Well done and said!
This place has so much! Its DPC, lol
Ive been a member for a little over a year now and have just been amazed at what i learn and what i come across on this site.
i love it! I've even got it set to my homepage on my browser. This is the first place i visit when online, I'm hooked.
To take a digital look....
First Most Recent
almost forgot, great job on the photo looks great!
I've been here a long time, and while I may not be improving*, I am having a great time!
(*Note that my first entry outscored my most recent entry. And outscored four of my last ten entries!)
It is interesting to see the first challenge entries versus last scores posted here, but I guess where I was going is more about how you feel you have improved rather than how you have scored.
My first score was actually pretty decent and I thought i had a sense of how to photograph, but I think where the three years has taken me is to areas i never thougth I would try - portraits, macros, and more artsy stuff (albeit not as often as i would like).
Been here a little under 2 years now. I think comparing my second entry and my most recent is a good comparison, as they were both staged tabletop shots.
4.77 in "Opening"
5.41 in "Unusual objects"
I know my photography is way improved since then, but my average is only slightly higher than it was early on. I think this is because I often experiment and I also have a love of gag shots that not everybody understands.
Where I think I have improved the most is in post processing, and in learning to see shapes, textures colors and especially light. I now look at how they all interact with each other. See interesting views in the everyday. I was outside the building today at lunchtime taking pictures for the architecture challenge, and my boss walked by with a curious look on his face. I was photographing what to him is a boring building we all see everyday. I was seeing interesting angles,reflections, and leading lines.
Ditto, Peter! I don't even like to think about my first entries, but I agree about loving being a part of this community so much! Thanks for writing this thread and giving us a chance to say so :)
And wow! You did a FABULOUS job on that edit. I don't think it was bad before, but the improved version is nothing short of amazing. The part that amazed me so much was the fencing -- flawless looking. Way to go!
