I ribboned on my second challenge, brown, I mean. :)
I persevered, though, and continued posting shots and improving.
My first 8 scores were 4.5 or below (mostly below), and that's probably why my average vote recieved is still just below a 5. But the key is that I'm improving.
My first 2 challenges were DQd. One was doing pretty good at 5.6-ish the other was doing poorly at 4.5-ish.
Here's the rest of my entries in order from most recent to first.
Hmmm, this is fun!
First one was Soaring - 5.4, then came Blue Tones - 5.7,
then Stay Focused - 4.3 complete with DQ request (someone couldn't figure out how I got the little bear inside the big bear) and I finished out the month with a 6.1 for Gulls Drinking. Since then, the ol' average has been going down hill, but I'm learning a lot!
I thought I did pretty well with my first entry (multiple light sources):
5.715
43rd out of 221
Then threw a bit of a stinker with my second (sports without players) relatively speaking.
4.748
117rd out of 162
I have high hopes for my waiting entry, but I see it's slipping hourly at the moment, down to 5.4601 down from 6.something when only three people had voted :-).
My first photo wasn't so special. It wasn't that I went out and took the shot for the challenge -- I just looked at what I had shot and saw how it kind of fit the challenge.
It has been my experience I usually do much worse when I try to just use a photo I shot that week to fit a challenge than when I specifically go out to shoot for the challenge. The exception to that rule is when I posted my "Oops!" challenge picture. Of course, a real oops picture cannot be planned -- it just happens. My unplanned oops shot did fairly well -- 9th place.
Yeah Gary, but that's because you're a genius! What about the rest of us?
Um.... YOU don't qualify as a "rest of us." No one who's ribboned on their 4th AND 5th entry, and has gone on ribbon about a kagillion times (your mileage may vary) cannot assume to understand the struggles of the masses :)
'bout as much sense as Clinton saying, "I feel your pain."
All kidding aside, y'all do great stuff and are great examples for the rest of us who keep on pluggin' away... and occasionally get lucky (both good and bad) ... or not.
My first contest I got a 6.0289, 39th place out of 406 entries, and 91st percentile. I thought to myself...this is easy! A dozen or so contests later, I've improved on that score only once, and that just barely. I was convinced it was my equipment until my 15 year old daughter, with her ancient Fuji 4900, placed 9th a while back. Humbling! All my entries were taken with a Canon A70.
This week I bought a Digital Rebel, and so for the Choices contest I feel incredible pressure to do better (if only to prove to myself it was my equipment, after all!). Truth is I know better AND I know there's going to be a learning curve with the DSLR. Anyway, it's all fun and I'm learning a ton!
