Just curious whether most of you find that your score on a particular challenge is related in any way (proportional? inversely proportional?) to the time you spent conceiving, executing, editing your entry.
Do you find even low-scoring entries that you put a lot of work into more rewarding?
How much time do you spend in general on challenge entries?
Do you give a higher score to entries that you clearly can tell the photographer spent hours creating and executing?
Or do you have more respect for a photographer who just had a "good eye" and captured something more spontaneously?
Okay...that ought to be enough fodder for a discussion thread.
Actually my top 7 were all taken within 2-3hours before the deadline. Some less then an hour. Seems like the ones that I took a day or 2 of the start ends up really low.
I don't think I've ever spent more than a hour total on a weekly submission. My highest scoring photo took around 10 minutes to shot and excute and my thrid highest about 30 seconds - 1 minute to take 3 quick shots of the skylight.
What I find out is if I'm not to confident in a shot and come to the point where I have to do several takes it won't do well, but if I just have to one take the photo will score pretty well.
It's different for me every time. I don't always have an idea, so sometimes I'll go out shooting 3 or 4 times in a week only to submit nothing. Other times, it's really quick. I think slowing down and taking your time in photoshop really pays off. I try to study every single part of my photo before submitting it (assuming I have time before midnight :)
My 2 highest scoring photos are ones which I didn't like too much at first, but was able to clean them up enough in photoshop so they scored well (but I'm still not in love with them).
I've still never submitted a photo that I thought was my best work, but I think we should all believe we can do better (of course, Jacko's gonna need a microscope in order to improve his stuff :)
Oh, also, I forgot to mention, sometimes I bail out a challenge on purpose if I feel like the topic isn't clearly defined ... I get scared of being voted down cuz not everyone is on the same page. For example, there were a few threads about the upcoming multiple light source challenge that led me to believe many people are confused which could lead to some scary voting ... so I've opted to bail out :)
My three highest scoring shots were more well thought out and time consuming. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to setting up shots, maybe that's why only a handful of mine have even broken six.
My highest scoring shots all took some time. I will often drive quite a long way to get a shot. If I know the light is probably 'right' in a particular location, I'll drive there if I have the time.
I usually spend a good 30 minutes in Photoshop on each, too, even for Basic rules challenges. My top 4 all took about an hour or longer in Photoshop, just fiddling with minute details, grain removal, etc. Of course, I usually work on the print photo first, so it is ready for printing when I finally upload a web version.
More importantly, my top shots have had some waiting time, in which I've had time to let it sit for a day or two. Then when I look at it again, I can see it with a fresh eye and know whether it is submit-worthy. Some of my latest shots have lacked this waiting time, and after a day or two of getting hammered in the challenges, I can see that I was a bit sloppy.
It starts out as a mind challenge. Coming up with an idea can take days and then the actual shooting of my idea will take from 1-200 shots to get it just right. Then the processing, might take up to 30 minutes to get it ready and submitted to the challenge.
Here lately I haven't retaken any of my photos. If one of my photos needs work, I just blow it off and not change a thing. hmmm...maybe that is why I've been doing so poorly. I kind of how so many other things going on right now.
The photo that I spent the most time on was my very first entry, in the Painting with Light challenge. I spent hours trying different setups, taking lots of shots, editing the results, shooting again, etc. I never did manage to get the image that I was after, but then I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted anyway. I finally entered a shot that I was satisfied with and it did pretty well.
My best result, or I should say my highest placing (9th), came from a shot that I expected to do very poorly. I came up with the idea at the last minute and only had a few minutes to get a shot, edit it, and get it uploaded. The photo was pretty bad technically, and I probably made it worse in Photoshop, but the people liked the idea and it did well.
I’ve been finding that I seldom have enough time to work on a challenge. I also spend too much time trying to come up with a suitable idea, or I come up with a great idea that is difficult, or simply impossible, to shoot.
It's true that I'm much busier than when I started DPC. This shot took the longest--it took all day, about 10 hours(!), and then another hour in Photoshop:
I think it's my record, but with all the elaborate set-up, this shot comes a close second:
My highest scoring shots all took some time. I will often drive quite a long way to get a shot. If I know the light is probably 'right' in a particular location, I'll drive there if I have the time.
I usually spend a good 30 minutes in Photoshop on each, too, even for Basic rules challenges. My top 4 all took about an hour or longer in Photoshop, just fiddling with minute details, grain removal, etc. Of course, I usually work on the print photo first, so it is ready for printing when I finally upload a web version.
More importantly, my top shots have had some waiting time, in which I've had time to let it sit for a day or two. Then when I look at it again, I can see it with a fresh eye and know whether it is submit-worthy. Some of my latest shots have lacked this waiting time, and after a day or two of getting hammered in the challenges, I can see that I was a bit sloppy.
I went out and bought props and everything for my Banana challenge shot. I thought it was one of my best yet and it is bombing like there is no tomorrow. I can take a shot 15 minutes before the submission deadline and do just as well. I've come to the conclusion, I just have no skill.
Ditto. I am having a particularly depressing day and I score much lower than you! Seriously, I am having one of those "maybe I should give this up" days. At least I am not alone. BTW, this is NOT about scoring low, but really thinking I just may not have enough creativity going for me.
EDIT: Cbeller, you do have some truly great stuff.
One I spent two days, 60 shots (half B/W half color) analyzed em all, worked the one I thought was great up, and posted it.
The other I shot in five minutes, five takes, worked it up in two minutes and posted it.
The five minute one is doing as well as the one I put all the effort into.
Go figure? It matters to a point, but depends on what mood everyone is in when they cast their votes.
Opps, didn't even answer your question. Kudos, go to the photos that I can tell a little effort went into, and you can tell that around here. And poo poos go to shots that clearly could have been taken from a tripod (stable surface) but was not, those are evident as well.
