>DSS #7 (Communication - B&W): Feedback Thread

Greensquared

As soon as the judges have made their top ten selections, their critiques will be added to this thread. The voting poll will be posted at that time also. In the meantime, post your own personal feedback and favorites here.

The challenge theme was: Communication
Your judges were:
__________________________________________________
JAG - Feedback

Compatition this round was really stiff! There were so many good shots this took me several lists to wean down from. Here are my critiques of the top 10...

#8-Halite- From the Composer's Pen to the Listener's ear.~This photo shows communication well and the lighting was well set up. I think the shadows of non defused light gives it more of a realistic stage presence vs a studio set up look with diffusers. I also really like the backlight of the subject off to the right. It makes me feel like I am really in an large room with a composer conducting me to play.

#9-PaulThomasMckee- In Touch~This is a great composition. What makes it great is the lighting, crop/position of the camera, the Depth of field and how it displays the theme in an unique manner.

#18-Aaron Nelson- Ok mom, I will.~This is a very well thought out piece of work. The difficulty of the lighting was mastered well. I like the fact that you left in the lights from the garage which adds to the reality of where they are at and the time of day they might be there. I like the selective focusing on the main subject. Really a nice picture.

#21-VisualXpressions- Horse Whisperer~I like the strong contrast treatment given to this picture. I like the fact that you left the impurities on the girls skin. Makes it more true to life photo rather than a set up glamour shot. You have conveyed the theme well with this. My only wonder about this picture is could you have gotten more of the horses head in the shot?

#26-Sherwin James- Communication overload~My first response to this was WOW! A very well thought out and executed shot. IMO the only thing that would make this a tad better is if both feet were in the picture. But it does not take that much away from the picture....just my own nitpick.

#33-KevXman- Tower to Tower~This picture was tied for the tenth place of my choosing. The only thing that gave it the edge was that it was a once in a lifetime type shot (not set up)that was perfectly executed with perfect lighting and composition.

#37-Peterst6906- In one ear out the other~Another WOW! I like everything about this photograph! Superb execution!

#42-Rebeccahelm- A last hope~Again, WOW!!! This one I keep coming back to and look at! I love the angle of the camera (and horizon) the lighting is perfect. Super work!

#47-Schatch- incoming~This is a great set up and thought. I can tell alot of work went into this. My only nitpick is that the phones on the left should be giving enough light to have somewhat reflective light on her face/hair.

#51-thehobbyist- when diplomacy fails~This composition is a one of a kind and well executed. The contrast and sharpeness throughout the picture is great. Communication amoung animals is done with posturing alot of the time and you captured it well.


I will give a complete critique of the others later. Great work everyone!~Joyce

__________________________________________________
Greensquared - Feedback

#3 - thebigsky - First Contact
Dang! Kinda creepy and fascinating at the same time, but talk about in your face with that window to the soul! Eyes
communicate so much and this image is hard to pull away from.

#6 - LiquidAir - Broadcast
I love the use of shallow depth of field here, although I wish for just a touch more to include the lower lip. Still, a
very powerful image, bang on theme and excellently executed.

#9 - PaulThomasMcKee - :.In Touch.:
Absolutely wonderful. At first I thought the image looked a little dark, but then when I considered the subject matter, I
realized that attribute fitted in well. Great job!

#18 - AaronNelson - "ok Mom, i will"
I think this is great as it displays how teenagers alter they way they communicate, depending on who it's with. The stance
of the group in back, the setting and the partially hidden face all add to the drama of the scene. I think you could lose
the lights at the top, but otherwise, well done.

#20 - pemmett - Trading secrets...
Wonderful. Love the expression, exposure and composition. Very well done.

#21 - VisualXpressions - "Horse Whisperer"
This is really nice and I love the conversion! I could nitpick about how her nose look to actuall be in the horse's ear,
but it still totally works.

#26 - SherwinJames - Communication Overload
Awesome! I wish I could see his feet, but other than that...it's perfect.

#35 - NeilL - Master of Olfactory Communication
I kept coming back and forth to this one. I love the detail in the bottles and I can almost smell this image. The sense of
smell most definitely is a form of communication, albeit not the most obvious one. Well done for thinking outside of the
box.

#37 - peterst6906 - In One Ear and Out the Other
Love it!

#42 - RebeccaHelm - A Last Hope
Great storytelling image. Very well shot as well and nice comp.

Sorry these last two are brief...bad storm threatening to knock out my power. Over and out!

peterst6906

My top picks. Good luck everyone (not just those in my picks, but everyone in general):



Regards,

Peter

KevXman

Hard to pick just ten, but here we go. In no particular order...



Good Luck All!

— Kevin

Tango

wow there are so many great entries. i have my top5 favs that i connected with well.
if more than one of these make the voting stage i would have a real hard time try'n 2 decide which one to vote for........

swintonphoto

My faves
My favorites - really nice job on these ones!

richtersl

Emily and Joyce will have their work cut out for them. What a round! :whew

Here are my 10 favorites:

The Curious Camel

I am uncomfortable doing this but it is part of learning to so here goes.


9 .:.In Touch.: PaulThomasMcKee

16 Reaching Out dlplumer

37 In One Ear and Out the Other peterst6906

42 A Last Hope RebeccaHelm

43 Is There Anybody Out There? pyroPrints

50 keep it sharp Sherstone

54 "Cry for Help" Swintonian

61 Back Off! bsharp

69 Noteworthy achambers

71 AllWays Karrie McD

Here's to stepping out of the comfort zone.

dlplumer

My Top 9 in no particular order

Llywellyn

My favs from this round

lynnesite

In no particular order
45 Real My Eyes
47 Incoming
50 Keep It Sharp
37 In One Ear
8 From Composer's Pen...
53 Playing to the Crowd
21 Horse Whisperer
30 Prescious
6 Broadcast
9 In Touch
honorable mention-neat execution #71 All Ways

eoren1

My top-5 (errr...7)
My top-5











And two honorable mentions (can't bring myself to cut down anymore )




Good job everyone!!!
E

Karrie McD

Hard To Pick 10
That was a great round everyone! It was hard to pick just ten.

This is my top ten in no particular order:





and, I gotta say, I'm really liking #63 explorish; Body language, the lines in it are great...I can't spit out what exactly it is but...it is a very catchy photo.

MrsCue

Thank you to KevXman, Llywellyn for choosing "Story Time" to go in your top picks.
Here are my top picks. (JFYI, I very rarely pick 10 and I NEVER look at the photographers when choosing my top picks. I choose what speaks to me. Sorry no pun intended lol).

Tango

MrsCue, your story time was one of my wifes favorites...., i then asked her mine must be second right?, she said no the little girl praying is far better too......:cry

MrsCue

AaronNelson wrote:

MrsCue, your story time was one of my wifes favorites...., i then asked her mine must be second right?, she said no the little girl praying is far better too......:cry

awww bless ya. I couldn't even tell you, without looking, which was yours.

tlee

Thanks to those who included my image in their top picks (The Beholder):D.

Here's my Top 10:

bsharp

My Top Ten
Here are my top ten. Choosing the top 5 is too hard, and the #1 -
Thanks for those who included my 'Back Off' in their top picks.

pemmett

Here's my top 10. Now time for a rest...oh no... wait a minute... round 8 has started...here we go again



Well done everyone - good luck to everyone. Have a great round 8.

Cheers/Peter

The Curious Camel

lynnesite

Appreciate being on your list.

Peace, gail

Roaddog 52

My top ten in order of entry;

#6 Broadcast LiquidAir

#8 From Composer's Pen... Halite

#9 In Touch PaulThomasMcKee

#20 Sharing Secrets Pemmett

#26 Communication Overload SherinJames

#37 In One Ear and Out the Other peterst6906

#42 A Last Hope RebeccaHelm

#48 Soldiers Letters to New Bride-1969 tamplum

#50 Keep it sharp sherstone

#68 "Story Time" MrsCue

There were many great images, for me there was one standout from the moment I saw it.

Good luck to everyone,

P

dlplumer

The Curious Camel wrote:

I am uncomfortable doing this but it is part of learning to so here goes.


9 .:.In Touch.: PaulThomasMcKee

16 Reaching Out dlplumer

37 In One Ear and Out the Other peterst6906

42 A Last Hope RebeccaHelm

43 Is There Anybody Out There? pyroPrints

50 keep it sharp Sherstone

54 "Cry for Help" Swintonian

61 Back Off! bsharp

69 Noteworthy achambers

71 AllWays Karrie McD

Here's to stepping out of the comfort zone.

Thanks CC :ivar

slpollett

There were too many very nice photos to choose from. Nice job, everyone. My favorites in no particular order:

From Composer's Pen to Listener's Ear -- Halite
In Touch -- Paul Thomas McKee
Communication Overload --Sherwin James
In Black & White -- Velvt Ride
Precious -- Curious Camel
In One Ear & Out the Other -- Peterst6906 (this one made me laugh!)
Last Hope -- Rebecca Helm
Back Off! -- bsharp
Story Time -- MrsCue

I also really liked 'Words to Chew On' from Shutterbuglady (I'm a sucker for cute kitten pictures), but it was DQ'd. :cry


Thanks also to dlplumer for listing my entry as one of your favorites. I hope it made you chuckle. This was my first time entering one of these challenges, so I'm really glad somebody liked my shot.

Sherry

Greensquared

Judges feedback is posted at the beginning of this thread.

ic4u

Thank you so much Karrie McD and bsharp for including me in your top ten! It gives me reassurance that I'm improving and heading in the right direction!

Karin

VelvtRide

slpollett wrote:

There were too many very nice photos to choose from. Nice job, everyone. My favorites in no particular order:

From Composer's Pen to Listener's Ear -- Halite
In Touch -- Paul Thomas McKee
Communication Overload --Sherwin James
In Black & White -- Velvt Ride
Precious -- Curious Camel
In One Ear & Out the Other -- Peterst6906 (this one made me laugh!)
Last Hope -- Rebecca Helm
Back Off! -- bsharp
Story Time -- MrsCue

I also really liked 'Words to Chew On' from Shutterbuglady (I'm a sucker for cute kitten pictures), but it was DQ'd. :cry


Thanks also to dlplumer for listing my entry as one of your favorites. I hope it made you chuckle. This was my first time entering one of these challenges, so I'm really glad somebody liked my shot.

Sherry

Thanks for putting me in your favorites!

JAG

Jag Critiques 2 Thru 86
Congrates to all who made it to the finals. Here is my complete list of critiques if your interested. This was a very tough competition and picking 10 out of 86 was really tough! I am really glad to see we have lots of fresh people giving this a try and I hope you all learn alot by the critiques. Your all fabulous. Now I am going to read all the pre entry stuff!

PS...these critiques were written in notebook and the spacing looks really off...sorry but I am too tired to reformat all this at this time...so my appologies for the difficult read.

#2-tlee- The Beholder~ An interesting interpretation of the theme. I think that the top of the head
is a little too dark...not sure if there is a hat or something going across the forhead in an angled
line...its a little distracting to me trying to wrap my mind around what I see there.
#3-thebigsky- First Contact~ Babies are so cute! You have a well executed photo here...and it
made it into my first round of picks. I wish the mouth would have been more included into the shot
to bring it more into the feel of communication. I know that the eyes can show
communication..they just didn't communicate to me as much this time around. Top tens are hard to
pick when there are so many. I am glad this one made it to voting too!
#4-idiom- Postal~ An interesting choice. I do not know what thought process you went through
with this but its needs more pow in your face type action to it. If there was a sunset behind
it...black and white did not do it justice. Maybe a mid day sun with large clouds would have faired
better?
#5-Jrnylst- Placid Rage~ This would have made a great picture for a newspaper! And although the
communication aspect can be interpreted from it...it isn't the first thing I think of when I look at the
picture. I think...civil unrest, protest, ect.
#6-Liquidair- Broadcast~ Was this taken in two seperate images? Just curious. Although I think if
fits the communication well and the lighting is great. I am having a hard time getting my mind
around the dof of the chin in proportion to the upper lip and nose and then the infocus mic.
#7-Llywellyn- The Love Letter~ A well executed photo in regards to lighting. I am not crazy about
the backdrop "ripple" being directly behind her. It might have gone over better if it was just fading
off to blackness to keep the mood this portrays. Nice thinking outside the box in regards to theme.
#8-see the first post of this thread.
#9-see the first post of this thread.
#10-dadwtwins- The sun diety~Interesting siloette but in my opinion I don't see the theme in this
at all. Maybe I missed something?
#11-fashinznitsngrins- Tue~ Like the other post box posted...needs alot more wow factor for this
challenge and even though a postbox is a receptical to recieve communications...it doesn't
communicate the theme as well. Maybe with a child or hand putting a letter in would have made it
more interesting?
#12-Giphsub- Battlecry~ the background needs straightened out and the goose itself is washed
somewhat from overexposure. Might be due to the high iso setting.
#13-cmorganphotography~ Together in the womb, side by side, I lived and you...~too much of the
title explaining why the picture should meet the theme. The photographs should mostly convey the
theme with very little prompting from the title.
#14-quark- Texting, wdymbt~ Nice set up and thought on the theme. The lighting is lacking on the
left. A backlight or bounced light to lighten it up on that side some would have helped IMO.
#15-douglas- Can You Hear Me Now?~ The man looks like a cut out. Nice thinking out of the box
though.
#16-dlplumer- Reaching Out~ Now thats a streach to meet the theme! Great contrast and light.
Maybe a side view would have appealed more the the reaching out?
#17-samsplace- Earth's Age~ This does not meet the communication theme and is blurred...maybe
from the slow shutter speed.
#18-see the first comments on the first post on this thread.
#19- ic4u- Now I lay me down to sleep~ This one had made one of my lists but lost out do to
technical legistics. The dof needed to be deeper and the teddy is a little too distracting. But great
thought and really cute little girl!
#20-pemmett- Trading secrets- This one had also made one of my last cuts...I really liked the
picture and there are so many that I did like..but it started to come down to nitpicks when I did my
final cuts. The dof is somewhat shallow. But I am so glad this made it to the voting!
#21- see the comments at the top post of this thread.
#22-billytom- A call from childhood~ Nice collection of stuff but doesn't really communicate
communication completely to me.
#23-JAlexander- Teachers the great communicators~ If you didn't have the title I would have never
made the connection to the theme. Nice lighting and interesting position of the camera.
#24-agilepawz- Sunday Morning, Old school or high tech~ Nice composition and lighting. Works
well as a black and white...just doesn't pop for me though.
#25-jeffreaux2- Dear John~ I think you did a great job for thinking outside the box and this does
well with the theme. This did get to my final cut list but I am going to be honest here...something
about the background is unsettling to me...not sure if its just the noise or the angle or the light
behind the girl...but I find myself seeing all that before coming down to the letter and rings
themselves.
#26- see the comments on the first post of this thread.
#27- velvetride- In black and white~ Nice concept and attempt to make it "pop" but not enough pop
to it IMO.
#28-Roaddog52- Street Beat~ this came down to the last cut with me. I really like the image and
it was shot very well. I guess it came down to wow factor for me on this. While it is a great photo
it didn't wow me. Competition this round was very tough.
#29-photobrando- Recieve Transmission~ Nice thinking out of the box. The background might be a
bit to overpowering. Had the subject been further away from the wall to blur it more and not cast
shadows...it might have made for a better photo.
#30-The Curious Camel- Precious...~ Yes indeed this is precious. But it conveys a feeling of love
more than communication.
#31- avman- Forbidden Drive~ This is a very far stretch for the theme communication.
#32-scas- Frequency~ Interesting choice of filters. Looks more like a negetive vs a black and
white...but I guess how one looks at it.
#33- see the comments on the first post of this thread.
#34- Tentacion- Silent Prayer~ The flash or lighting is a little overpowering.
#35- NeilL- Master of Olfactory Communication~ I really did like this photo. It was well executed
and the dof is great. I just felt that for the theme it wasn't working for me. But I am glad to see
you got into the final voting! Congrates!
#36-Arvan- Love the digital way~ Nice stock type photo. Just doesn't speak volumes to me (pun
intended).
#37-See first post in this thread.
#38-womanwithacamera-Are you looking at me?~ Very intense scary look! I hope he isn't as mean
as he looks in this photo! The blurring just doesnt work for me with this picture.
#39-mtmillz- I want the world to know~ Nice set up and thinking out of the box for the theme.
Lighting and execution was done well...just doesn't wow me. This did make it into one of my cuts
though.
#40-jeffmeyers- Eye on the sky~ I don't know where I have seen this eye before...but I do not see
it meeting the theme.
#41- Hoofclix- Jump...Meeee.~ I am not seeing the them here sorry.
#42- see the first post in this thread.
#43-pyroprints- Is there anybody out there?~ nice minimalist shot but doesn't wow.
#44-richters- The stare that moves ewe~ I really liked the look of the dog and this image did make
it into one of my lists...but I cut it because of the very slight blur in the eyes. It looks like you
might of tried to sharpen in post processing. A faster shutter speed would have helped.
#45-mycaptures- Read My Eyes~ A nice portrait of a lovely little girl. I like the type of photo this
is however there is a bit too much softness around the eyes IMO.
#46-picturegirl- When words are not necessary~ The theme is well communicated here and the
lighting is good. It works well as a black and white. The head and hands of the baby being cut off
is what was the final decision to take this one off my list. Sorry.
#47-see the first post in this thread.
#48-tamplum- Soldier's letters to new bride~ Hits the theme well but the flash or lighting used
does not work well with this shot. The flower on the left is distracting too.
#49-Cuong- Its a deal~ This shot made it to my final cut list. In its own right it is a good photo.
The communication factor is body language which is important. It just didn't pop for me as others
did. Sorry.
#50- sherstone- keep it sharp~ Nicely photographed. Would make a nice stock image. Although I
do not see the theme well executed here.
#51- see the first post in this thread.
#52- Nikolai- Over and out~ Not your best work. I had to look at this for a while to see where you
were going with this. I finally think I made the connection of what the communication is with the
shadow of someone putting a gun to his head and goodbye note? But it took me awhile to get it.
Only thing I could suggest to try and make it better is prozac.
#53-eoren1- Playing the crowd~ Exellent street photography! This one was one of the "ties" in my
list of top 10. The only reason it did not make it in on my list was that the one I finally did choose
as the 10th spoke louder at communication. Really stiff competition. Sorry.
# 54-swintonian- cry for help~ doesn't communicate to me.
#55- DQ
#56-blaze Z blaze-patched in~ Need to kick it up in these competitions.
#57-shudderz- straight from the heart~ Beautiful image. Looks more like a feeling of love rather
than communicating. IMO.
#58-jwear- avian rhythmic fishing~ I dont see the communication connection.
#59-boats- unauthorized connection~ again, I don't see the communication connection
#60-Eia- you want to go where everybody knows your name~ Very weak communication connection.
#61-bsharp- back off- this made one of my cuts...but what made me drop it was the right should
have been cropped more. Other than that its a great photo in black and white!
#62-Jzazzi- Lack of~ Interesting and bold move for lack of communication. But the theme was
communication!
#63-explorish- body language~ This was thinking out of the box and was a good thought...but the
hand in the top left takes away too much from the whole picture. Its the first thing I looked at
when I saw the picture.
#64-DQ
#65-DQ
#66-CSwinton- stat~ the hand on the right is somewhat flat. Nice concept though.
#67-urbanaries- summer lovin~ Nice capture of fun but its slightly blown out and it doesnt
communicate the theme.
#68-MrsCue- Story time~ Very cute picture and done very well. It made one of my lists but
eventually had to cut. The final decision was that the dof could have included the book cover IMO.
#69-achambers- Noteworthy~ Yes this is noteworthy! It was in my final cut list. The final decision
was that there was no one to recieve the note...so the communication was cut short.
#70-pry- feeling black~ Portraying anger or frustration well. Nice lighting. Just doesn't hit the
communication theme well enough.
#71-Karrie- Allways~ to be honest I don't care for the treatment of white "smoke" comming from
the people. I can understand your concept here...but it doesn't wow. Sorry.
#72- Swintonphoto- after the fight~ I can see where you are going with this and I do not know how
I would have done it better other than maybe some sort of light between them? Maybe its just too
bare and dark...even though it shows a mood.
#73-ifocus- tell me I can~ I didn't even see the bone till I just now looked at this again to give a
critique. The first thing I saw when I was judging was the head cut off..thus I missed totally what
this had to do with communication...and even now its a stretch. Cute dog though.
#74-slpollett- I said can you hear me now?~ this is a cute capture. Too bad the one cat is out of
the dof.
#75-mactoll- pick your own pumpkin~ nice photo but doesn't hit the communication theme.
#76-vandana-the comfort zone~ The blurred hand is too much a distraction.
#77-Pilznr- connections~ Gotta kick it up in these competitions.
#78-fuiousfart- are you checking her out?~ I wonder if this would have been better as a horizontal
picture?
#79- Travis- Help~ Another cry for help. The post blurring has taken out your P.
#80- TPBinKC- Please Get me out of here~ The fence is way to distracting.
#81- Michael Atkins- Get away from me~ This was the third entry that had tied on my final cut list
for 10th place. I really do understand the danger you were in when you took this picture. And I
know the hiking you most likely did. I really like this photo and it was well executed with the
exception of that making this photo as a black and white took too much away from it. I know that
is what this particular theme was...but I would Love to see this image in color! Being from AK
myself I know that the colors are great. I wonder if cropping the upper right out and cut down the
background would have improved this b/w version?
#82-lynnesite- The touch that teaches~ I am not seeing the communication theme here.
#83-darkdragon- In the first years~ This passed my first pass through the entries...but at closer
examination was iliminated because the reflection was cut out of the picture. But the theme was
well represented in a cleaver way.
#84-Elaine- waves~ Nice black and white photo. Maybe if the boy in the distance was turned and
waving back it would have conveyed communication better?
#85-SJK- Heads up~ Nice to see so many new people entering this competition. The competition is
stiff so you need to find the wow factor!
#86-AndMan- Youre on the final lap~ nice fitting of the theme...but need to kick up the thought and
give me a wow!

Tentacion

I was just wondering how everyone's computer monitor's are calibrated, are they photographically correct monitors, what is the brightness setting, color graphics, etc? Has anyone used the spyder or a similar program to calibrate their monitors? just curious?

Congrats to the finalists. and KUDOS to all that entered!!

Peace
Donna

tamplum

Jag: Thank you for your honest critique of my "Soldiers Letters" I took this at so many angles, with and without the flowers. I felt pretty good about the concept and idea. But looking back at it with your comments in mind, I can see where your coming from. I think in the post work I did to bring out the shadows on the paper which was used (soldier, etc) it messed up the lighting a little, is my only thought.

Thank you for judging, not an easy task with so many amazing entries.

peterst6906

Tentacion wrote:

I was just wondering how everyone's computer monitor's are calibrated, are they photographically correct monitors, what is the brightness setting, color graphics, etc? Has anyone used the spyder or a similar program to calibrate their monitors? just curious?

Congrats to the finalists. and KUDOS to all that entered!!

Peace
Donna

Donna,

This might be a topic worth starting in it's own thread because I'm sure it will have use for other people (and if so, it should perhaps be discussed in terms of post processing for DSS so that it is a thread that is relevant to this forum instead of Digital Darkroom Gear).

But, in relation to my system, I only use LCDs these days (stopped using CRTs a couple of years ago) and because of the wider gamut and brighter display of a desktop monitor, I do all my processing on a desktop. On the occasions when I use my laptop, I plug in a desktop screen whenever I can.

I use a Spyder2PRO for profiling my monitor and use consistent lighting conditions (I use daylight bulbs in the lights in my office at home and keep all the blinds closed so that the lighting is fairly similar from day to night, though there is some difference).

I profile to 6500K and 2.2 gamma and let the Spyder do the rest.

I also keep the colours in my office as neutral as possible and move anything away from the screen that is brightly colored.

This setup works well for the prints I make at home, but I can't control how people view images over the internet, so I'm not as retentive about color when I prepare images for the web (though I did notice that in the last DSS, the colours looked very desaturated.....:D ).

Regards,

Peter

Giphsub

JAG wrote:

#12-Giphsub- Battlecry~ the background needs straightened out and the goose itself is washed
somewhat from overexposure. Might be due to the high iso setting.

Washed out from overexposure?? Not according to the histogram, or my monitor...
The back needing straightening could be an issue, I dunno. It wasn't a B&W conversion, but a shot taken with camera set to monochrome. Thanks for the comments though.

bsharp

JAG wrote:

#61-bsharp- back off- this made one of my cuts...but what made me drop it was the right should
have been cropped more. Other than that its a great photo in black and white!

Thanks Jag for all the time you have put in, and for your comments.