It's not always about the broad appeal high scores. Sometimes we enter challenges aiming elsewhere. Show us some of your low scoring entries that you consider to be a success and tell us why they were a success for you.
Here are some of mine:
This succeeded because I never expected a high score, but it hit people's funnybones and it raked in more great comments than any of my other humorous entries have achieved.
I was aiming for a reaction of "WTF?" and totally hit that target. Nobody knew what it was.
Another sub-fiver, but the comments told me I got my message across and it achieved a Posthumous award.
#1 - I showed myself that I didn't need to focus on my gear and lenses and crap in order to pull out something meaningful and emotional for a photo. At a time when I was going through a real photography slump, it was a pleasant epiphany.
#2 - I got to experience the excitement of watching a cell-phone camera shot do surprisingly well in a major "Best Of" competition.
#3 - I got a very honored and respected award from a very honored and respected member of the site, and the top award that he gives, in a major "Best Of" competition.
#4 - I got more comments than expected!
All in all, it remains my biggest personal success on this website to date.
Following the Quagga - Score 5.1218 - This is still one of my own favourites. I like to think that I captured emotion in the zebra's eye and I like the hint of activism in the title (A Quagga is an extinct relative of the zebra, and zebras are a threatened species).
Americanus automobilius - Endangered - Score - 5.4847 - I usually pick very safe images for challenges, ones that I feel with score well. This was one of the exceptions. I knew a lot of voters would DNMC me for putting in a bald eagle shot into an automobile challenge, thinking it was a shoehorn. And, perhaps it was a shoehorned image. I was at the raptor conservancy a the day after the challenge was announced, and thought of this. Funny thing is that I had another idea in my head, which I knew would score very well, and had time to shoot it also, but felt really strongly about this photo.
Pack-a-day Smoker - Score - 5.4810 - Shot this specifically for the DPCO III, so I otherwise would not have submitted it. But, even though the score was average, I loved the comments I received on it. This is also my only self portrait on DPC.
Scored 5.0773, but it is one of my top selling stock photos despite being shot with a 2mp camera. Of course the file size would prevent it from being accepted today.
All three among my lower scoring entries. I consider them successful simply because I was able to pull off the concepts I was going for. In each case, I expected to score well and got pummeled. :-/
this, my very first challenge entry and it ended at 4.1xx. For me, it's definitely a success in that it truely placed the right mindset for me in many challenges to come. it set the tone for what shots i'd submit that were teetered on the border between acceptable and a bit racey. they were happily submitted only for the mere fact that i liked them, not because it wouldn't meet what the DPC mass voter sees over and over again.
this one, the same, also got alot of funny comments with this one
All three among my lower scoring entries. I consider them successful simply because I was able to pull off the concepts I was going for. In each case, I expected to score well and got pummeled. :-/
Pummeled? Your lowest of the three is just shy of my site average, and the others are nicely above it! It's certainly a relative thing! One day...
One of my favorite shots ever taken, and my 4th lowest score out of 254 entries.
It is a success in that it tells a story (read posthumous's comment) and I still believe that it really met the challenge, eventhough I am in the minority on that one.
This one here:
Beasts - score 4.4054 and in the bottom 15 in a challenge with over 500 entries.
Why do I consider it a success? Not everyone loved it, clearly but I do and so did a bunch of people who saw it. It got a lot of great comments and several favourites. I knew going in it wasn't going to score well but I hoped it would hit the mark with some people and it did = a personal success!
Okay, I thought this one was a success simply because I finally managed to work a snuggie into a photograph.
And I really liked this shot, simply because I knew it wouldn't score well but I thought it was outside the box and unique... It was supposed to be kinda funny... It was misunderstood by some, but that's what I liked about it...
This one is my successful low-voter, I really like it and I'm much more proud of it than of many of my higher scoring images (well, the range is quite narrow). It got 64 comments (ok, it was the 1000th challenge), all really great and heart-warming. If I would choose again, I would still go with that one, rather than some boring perfectly sharp snapshot...
This one here:
Beasts - score 4.4054 and in the bottom 15 in a challenge with over 500 entries.
Why do I consider it a success? Not everyone loved it, clearly but I do and so did a bunch of people who saw it. It got a lot of great comments and several favourites. I knew going in it wasn't going to score well but I hoped it would hit the mark with some people and it did = a personal success!
I liked it a lot, was one of your 7s. A bit abstract, yes, but the blur and the motion and the teeth conveyed the feeling of the moment wonderfully. Good stuff!
