DSS#42 Unofficial Feedback Thread - (Photojournalism)

bf2015

So, here is the official gallery to give your C&C for DSS#42

Gallery Here...

Once more into the fray. This unofficial feedback thread is a catch-all of sorts, lets make it happen:thumb

Anyway, let's start feedback on DSS #42!!

This thread is:

• a place to post a list of your top ten favorites. (be heard, and let everyone know what images moved you.)
• a place to post your "the making of my image"
• a place to ask someone "how did they do that?"(for us all to see:D )

Feedback is an important part of the photographic process. While those selected as finalists get feedback from the judges and those who vote, others are never quite sure where they stand. So share your thoughts both in this thread and with comments in the actual gallery. Constructive criticism should always be welcome.

It's easy to post thumbnails (with help from our Moderator).

With the image selected in the gallery, copy its URL from your browser, add "-Th.jpg" to the end, delete the jumble of numbers and letters preceding the hashtag (#), change "gallery" to "photos" and that's it.

Example

Change this url

[LEFT]http://challenges.smugmug.com/Other/DSS-33/9546126_UcMnF#646702914_YfHpk[/LEFT]

To this (minus the space in the IMG tags)

[LEFT]http://challenges.smugmug.com/photos/646702914_YfHpk-Th.jpg[/LEFT]

Happy Feedbacking :scratch

tinamarie52

Congrats to all of the entries. This was a hard challenge and covered completely new ground for many of us. That's what it's all about. I didn't have a chance to shoot much for this and haven't entered an image. But I know I'll be shooting more in this style... until I feel ike I have a photo that I could've entered. It will help my amateur sports reporting gigs immemsely!

Thanks for the challenge LLywellyn!

Chris

KevXman

There were so many good images, it was hard to narrow it down. Here my "Top Ten" list of those that were technically spot or said something to me, or both.



Good job everyone!
— Kevin

lizzard_nyc

I tried to narrow it down to my favorite top 10 and I can't-- I have 14 images that I think are just wonderful!
Some great story telling here and street shots, from the mundane to the highly charged scenes, little snippets of life--WELL DONE!

michswiss

I've made comments on several of the shots in the gallery and will continue to add more over the next day or so. But, basically I think everyone succeeded! I don't have much choice but to shoot this style as that's what I confront every day with 20 million people, almost literally, outside my door.

But so many of you went out and pushed yourselves to take your camera's into new places and situations. I can't wait to see how this affects your future work and challenge submissions!

rainbow

Just learned something: the comments use my Smugmug "nickname" and not my DGrin tagline. So I have to log in as a guest and use "Rainbow" as a name (:cry - cuz I have to type in codeword everytime...)

ASkip

It's not so easy
I stared at this challenge and the submissions for two weeks thinking "What?" and that I wouldn't even submit anything. But it's a "Challenge" so I had to learn black and white conversion (a little bit) and stuck a picture in there. These are cool, these challenges, they do make you learn something new.
Thanks Smumug for the challenge and thanks Kevin for putting my lowly picture in your top ten.
I have a question though, for people who took pictures of people close up, do you ask their permission? Or just go all paparazzi on them? I just can't bring myself to stick a camera in a stranger's face.
Thanks.
Anna

divamum

Just a note say I have been seriously AWOL!! I haven't even had a chance to check the galleries, but I look forward to it. Life has suddenly become quite busy; I'm pleased about this (it's for all the right reasons for once!), but it's cut into my dgrin addiction and photo-obsessing time. I'll be back, I promise!

WhatSheSaw

Missed you, Diva! I think it is a good thing to enjoy life without a camera once in a while (a long while). We'll save some photo ops for you.

Aspecto5

My Fav's!!

MachineAge

ASkip wrote:

I have a question though, for people who took pictures of people close up, do you ask their permission? Or just go all paparazzi on them? I just can't bring myself to stick a camera in a stranger's face.
Thanks.
Anna

I too find this difficult...probably most people do. This book is almost all about that and is a really good read:

Within The Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision by David DuChemin

Search on Amazon...a bunch of people have reviewed it.

michswiss

ASkip wrote:

I have a question though, for people who took pictures of people close up, do you ask their permission? Or just go all paparazzi on them? I just can't bring myself to stick a camera in a stranger's face.
Thanks.
Anna

Getting close isn't easy and it's something that requires conscious effort on my part. It feels like a magnetic repulsion when I broach other's personal space. I definitely don't go all paparazzi on people. I'll try to respectfully be a part of the setting or situation, just with a camera at the ready. A wallflower, an observer. If the subject actively objects or politely asks that I don't, I'll respect that and either sit with them for a while longer or just move on.

rainbow

ASkip wrote:

I have a question though, for people who took pictures of people close up, do you ask their permission? Or just go all paparazzi on them? I just can't bring myself to stick a camera in a stranger's face.
Thanks.
Anna

There are always great discussions in the Street and PJ forum. Unfortunately, they are usually embedded in random threads as people go off on tangents. Your question did come up more than once as this is the discomfort that most novices to the street scene encounter. To paraphrase the answer: "Do not ask permission or you are no longer taking a street photo but a posed shot."

Most of us are slowly building our courage through experience (hopefully not too many unpleasant ones...). That is part of what is difficult about this genre. If there is a mantra, it is: "Get closer!" But use good judgement, too.

VisualXpressions

All of the images submitted would pass for Photojournalism, like most of you I had a difficult time narrowing it down to just 10… with that said one of the things I did not use to judge the image was the title, although some were very good many didn’t do the image justice, I chalk this up to the fact that I don’t think any one here is a PJ. I would have loved to have seen a cut line instead of a caption… Anyway my criteria for picking my top 10 went like this… Content, does the image tell a story, did the photographer shoot “verbs” as well as nouns, and what is the emotional impact, if any. After that I looked at composition, focus, and BW conversion.
My top 10 in no particular order…
JWear - Wildlife = Life and Death = Death and Life
AndMan - Should've paid attention to the flood warning
KevXman - Eternal Vigilance
Coldclimb - Keep the Blinds Closed, Please.
DsrtVW - Wind Damage
Tewmom - The "Scott" heard round the world!
pyroPrints.com - NYC Street Performer
Luke J. Photography - Line Drive
cmurph - Remembering the Dream
e mari ad terram - Cub scout Pack #735 Pine wood Derby 2010

I enjoyed being a guest Judge...
Winston<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

sunflowerstudio

I think that each of us have to come up with our own comfort level, too, what we're happy doing in order to get the shot. I agree with the idea that asking permission means that it's no longer posed. Asking means you've created an observer effect. So can situations where people start mugging for the camera they see.

But, my own personal limit, and it limits what pictures I can get, is that I need to be part of the experience I'm photographing. So, pictures on the playground, when I'm a mom, and my kids are there too, works for me. I can take pictures at a political rallies, when I'm part of the event. But *I* am uncomfortable when I'm there as an observer and not as a participant. This personal comfort level can make some photographs difficult.

Of course, I'm not saying this should be anyone else's standard, and it does mean that I'm not a journalist -- i.e. a person who is an observer (even paid to be one). But, I guess I'm saying that choosing to limit the range of photos you can take based on your comfort level should be OK. Each of us has different goals with our photography.

rainbow wrote:

There are always great discussions in the Street and PJ forum. Unfortunately, they are usually embedded in random threads as people go off on tangents. Your question did come up more than once as this is the discomfort that most novices to the street scene encounter. To paraphrase the answer: "Do not ask permission or you are no longer taking a street photo but a posed shot."

Most of us are slowly building our courage through experience (hopefully not too many unpleasant ones...). That is part of what is difficult about this genre. If there is a mantra, it is: "Get closer!" But use good judgement, too.

jwear

Winston ,aspecto5 Thank you and for those that took time to comment on the hawk. I knew in this challenge that a bird would maybe have a tough time but was lucky with that shot ,to me tells a story and did make the theme .

Tango

jwear wrote:

Winston ,aspecto5 Thank you and for those that took time to comment on the hawk. I knew in this challenge that a bird would maybe have a tough time but was lucky with that shot ,to me tells a story and did make the theme .

If Harry owned a magazine I know which entry would make the cover shot....

VisualXpressions

critique of Daddy0 - Sign of the times - Main Street America
Sign of the times - main Street America... The story is... the economy is slow, the Country is in recession, people are tightening their belts. Small business is hurting, many are closing their doors because know one is spending any money and people are out of work... Does this image tell this story? I really don't think so... It could simply be a photo of any-town America early in the morning before any activity is going on Sometimes you need more than one image to adequately tell the story... Sometimes this makes photojournalism very difficult... this image could be used in a series of images, a documentary or picture story about main street America... I'm afraid it just isn't strong enough to be a stand alone image. When you get right down to it, it's just a picture of an empty street.

On the Technical side of things, it isn't a very good B&W conversion there are no whites or blacks in this shot... there are only shades of gray which make it look muddy. I don't like the fact that most of what I see is empty road. In fact half of the image is pavement... With something like this I would want to see more buildings than pavement... to emphasize your story for example, a shot of several adjacent store fronts with for lease signs or business closed signs or going out of business would have worked better to help tell your story than this shot... Any way hope this helps, keep shooting...

Winston