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Photo Contest?
- Thread starter Jadie.Glitch
- Start date
Jadie.Glitch
:) colubridstudios.com :)
Hmm, I disagree with you. While I'd rather see the picture at a slightly different angle (meaning ever so slightly less "under the chin"), the depth is amazing, has good color and contrast, and uses the rule of thirds which is a crucial thing for professional photographers to utilize.
I've taken photography and advanced photography classes, own digital, digital SLR, and 35mm cameras, advanced editing programs, and am just a general art/picture enthusiast so while I don't claim to be perfect in my opinions or techniques, I do claim to at least know what I'm talking about. No, the picture isn't 100% perfect, but it's a darn good one and I would give it my stamp of approval and definitely allow it into a professional category.
Your main argument was that it didn't have depth. Well, based on everything I've been taught, it most definitely does have depth. Also, the fact that the background is so blurry adds to the photo by making the focal point (the snake) pop out at you. They're very much the same color scheme so the background would have to be that much out of focus or the subject to stand out.
Just my $0.02
Aislin
Snowcorn Grandma
I'd love to enter...amateur or not (which I am) I think one group would be best. I can take a loss. This is about having fun to me and letting everyone see my corn and getting to see everyone elses...and really? I don't need much more excuse than that to sit around and stare at awesome pics of corns.
....AND ,you never know....an amateur could luck out and win.
....AND ,you never know....an amateur could luck out and win.
Jadie.Glitch
:) colubridstudios.com :)
Okay, I appreciate all the responses. I think that while I'd like to be fair and separate the categories, after all the suggestions I've been given it just seems like too much of a hassle. I think it would turn this into something it isn't supposed to be and people would probably walk away with their feelings hurt in one way or another.
I appreciate all the responses I've been given and we should have the thread up fairly shortly. I'm all but done with it and I'm just awaiting a response from TME giving me permission to use a lot of her verbiage and the links she worked up during the times she hosted the contest. OH, and I'm also awaiting more prize donations! Tell your friends! We need more contributions.
If all goes well it will be up in the next couple of days
. I want to give plenty of time for donations to roll in, otherwise we may need to limit it to less placings.
I appreciate all the responses I've been given and we should have the thread up fairly shortly. I'm all but done with it and I'm just awaiting a response from TME giving me permission to use a lot of her verbiage and the links she worked up during the times she hosted the contest. OH, and I'm also awaiting more prize donations! Tell your friends! We need more contributions.
If all goes well it will be up in the next couple of days
. I want to give plenty of time for donations to roll in, otherwise we may need to limit it to less placings.
Last edited:
Nanci
Alien Lover
I've never tried to pick that photo apart, technically, but it's a beautiful picture and is very pleasing to the eye and one of my most favorite photos I have seen here in the last year.
whoty
New member
So,basically your saying I can utilize my skills with advance editing program and(with your avatar)select you as the focal point and blur out the rest and it would be a good pic? Nah,it don't work like that. I also been around the photo/photo graphics world for a few yrs. I know a thing or 2. But,with a bg so blurry,it just doesn't look good. I'll take a pic here in a lil bit.
whoty
New member
I'm not a professional or anything,but I guess since photo/graphics is a big hobby of mine,my opinions might differ from to say the average joe.
Pruddock
Gig 'Em Ags!! Whoop!!
It's a big hobby of mine to and was a way to put me through college. "Blurry" in the background does NOT equal bad. Ask any professional except for maybe Dave Hill or somebody of that fashion that shoots mostly HDR and extremely EXTREMELY crisp photos throughout the image. The professional term for "Blurry background" is called Bokeh and people spend LOTS of money to have lenses that will allow them to achieve this effect in order to separate the background from the object. Normally lenses with an f-stop of 2.8 or better are considered the best lens to achieve this effect and most are prime lenses. But, in terms of snakes, most herp people like to see the depth and contrast of the scales and patterns throughout the image and the animal so a much smaller focal opening (f/8 or greater normally) is what people like to use to achieve this larger DOF. That's just the opinion of one though...
Who will be judging the contest, just out of curiousity? I would suggest putting together a group of people that will be willing to stay out of the contest and judge and REMAIN ANONYMOUS in order to have a fair judging. Too many feelings, social groups, and ties are present on the forum for it to be socially determined IMO. I've been involved in many photo contests and the ones with a specified and anonymous board of judges ALWAYS works better than the entire forum society. I've been completely screwed in the past and it just gets too cut throat. People have friends join just to vote and create false entities to vote and it's just not pretty. If I were you, I would ask a select, odd-numbered group of people (don't limit it to the mods as it is too easy for people to determine) and have them swear to remain anonymous until after the contest is over. Anybody else think this is a more effective idea?
Who will be judging the contest, just out of curiousity? I would suggest putting together a group of people that will be willing to stay out of the contest and judge and REMAIN ANONYMOUS in order to have a fair judging. Too many feelings, social groups, and ties are present on the forum for it to be socially determined IMO. I've been involved in many photo contests and the ones with a specified and anonymous board of judges ALWAYS works better than the entire forum society. I've been completely screwed in the past and it just gets too cut throat. People have friends join just to vote and create false entities to vote and it's just not pretty. If I were you, I would ask a select, odd-numbered group of people (don't limit it to the mods as it is too easy for people to determine) and have them swear to remain anonymous until after the contest is over. Anybody else think this is a more effective idea?
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
Maybe we could have a normal category and a humor category? If we separate them into categories at all, that is. Also, I'd be willing to do a drawing as a prize, obviously snake related.
Susan
Go Ahead, Make My Day!
Judging is usually done by the general membership via poll here on the forum.
Shiari
Blutterer
That's because it is a section of the photograph. The entire thing is below, and it is, frankly, FAR better than the one you put up as an example. It's certainly not the best ever, but it has true depth, good motion, and an interesting balance of negative space.
Your photo still has the entire snake out of focus/motion blurred, and because your snake is in blue I spend more time staring at the tree and the plant on the right than on your snake.
Attachments
ArpeggioAngel
Around Here Somewhere....
Depth of field can vary greatly from photo to photo depending on the camera, lens, aperture and viewing distance.
If you are talking just about the "depth" of the photo meaning from the viewers standpoint - well that is all subject to what the viewer prefers. Quite honestly, I prefer Shiari's photo much more than Whoty's.
Shiari's photo has better focus, better composition, and better lighting just to start. Whoty - your photo is still slightly out of focus, the angle of the snake leads my eye out of the photo and the colors are drab (not just because the snake is blue).
Now I have never taken any professional photo courses but I have been a member of various photography forums for a few years and won my fair share of photo contests. I think I have learned enough about photography to know what "draws" a viewer into a picture - although it is always going to be subjective.
Below are a few examples that I have used to win photo contests (including on this site).
If you are talking just about the "depth" of the photo meaning from the viewers standpoint - well that is all subject to what the viewer prefers. Quite honestly, I prefer Shiari's photo much more than Whoty's.
Shiari's photo has better focus, better composition, and better lighting just to start. Whoty - your photo is still slightly out of focus, the angle of the snake leads my eye out of the photo and the colors are drab (not just because the snake is blue).
Now I have never taken any professional photo courses but I have been a member of various photography forums for a few years and won my fair share of photo contests. I think I have learned enough about photography to know what "draws" a viewer into a picture - although it is always going to be subjective.
Below are a few examples that I have used to win photo contests (including on this site).
Attachments
luckycharm318
New member
This pic shows great dept. The entire bg is not blurry or too blurry.
My eye is more attracted to the... would that be moss? Well whatever is growing on the branch under your snake. The snake would be the focus of the photo if you had centered her head somewhere near the middle of the photo, rather than the bottom. Also, you took a more "looking down from the top" angle, which is fine for taking a picture to show a pattern, for instance. But using a different angle to capture your snake would make for a more artistic photo, which is the point of the contest, isn't it? As for a background, I would try something opposite in color of your snake, not totally drab and boring, but not so interesting or bright that it draws attention away from your intended subject. Focus is key, snakes aren't always the most still creatures, especially when there is lots of new stuff to explore! But it is possible to capture a still, in focus, snake with a simple point and shoot type camera. It's all in how you use what you've got!
Pruddock
Gig 'Em Ags!! Whoop!!
Listen to Katy (or is it Katie?). She's probably the best photog on here to be honest. Always loved to see your stuff Angel!
P.S. - The weather just started getting nice enough here to get outside with the snakes and take some shots and I've been craving a new lens so I just splurged a little the other night and bought a new lens! Can't wait for it to get here Monday! Canon 100m f/2.8 L IS lens! Whoop Whoop!
P.S. - The weather just started getting nice enough here to get outside with the snakes and take some shots and I've been craving a new lens so I just splurged a little the other night and bought a new lens! Can't wait for it to get here Monday! Canon 100m f/2.8 L IS lens! Whoop Whoop!
Pruddock
Gig 'Em Ags!! Whoop!!
That's what I figured Susan. I was just proposing that it might be more... effective and probably more definitive if a smaller group of more versed and anonymous people were voting rather than the entire forum. I know that on the photography forums that I'm a member of that's the ONLY way they do it now because of the effects of having open forum voting on the outcome of a contest. I've never seen any complaints there and I've seen a lot of issues on different snake forum photo contests that use the membership poll avenue. With that said, I've never been a part of the contests on here so I am speaking from my experiences as a whole rather than on this forum and merely proposing an alternative idea. :cheers:
ArpeggioAngel
Around Here Somewhere....
Thanks Payton. We do have some very good photographers on here although not all of them enter the various contests. In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but a well composed, in focus shot with good lighting and vibrant colors is usually going to draw the most votes.
Our weather here is finally nice too but I am waiting to get my yard fenced at the new house before I start taking the snakes out for photos. Been considering getting a new lens myself with my tax return....
Will be looking forward to your new photos when you get a chance to post some!
Oh - and PS - it is Katie! LOL!!