DSS #46 Unofficial Feedback Thread - (Green)

DeuceFour

So, here is the official gallery to give your C&C for DSS#46

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 #46!!

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

[URL="http://challenges.smugmug.com/Other/DSS-44/11173146_XPbWE#784726765_MXFDd"]http://challenges.smugmug.com/Other/DSS-44/11173146_XPbWE#784726765_MXFDd[/URL]

To this (minus the space in the IMG tags)

[URL="http://challenges.smugmug.com/photos/784726765_MXFDd-Th.jpg"]http://challenges.smugmug.com/photos/784726765_MXFDd-Th.jpg[/URL]

Happy Feedbacking :scratch

BinaryFx

My entry is missing.

It was uploaded, it was #60. It had EXIF.

Now the gallery ends at #57.

I did not receive notification that the entry was disqalified, so I am at a loss as to why the last three images do not display.

I doubt that it was user error.


Sincerely,

Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

DeuceFour

The DQ's list is here: http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1352859&postcount=16

Looks like yours was uploaded too late.

kidzmom

Great idea on this! On the run now, but I just wanted to reply BinaryFX. Here is the unfortunate list of DQ'd photos..8 I believe. I read and re-read the rules 2x to make sure I did everything okay. I initally forgot my user name/title, but luckily I checked back and was reminded in the comments section. Sorry you didn't make it in time. Next challenge looks great too
http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1352859&postcount=16

BinaryFx

DeuceFour wrote:

The DQ's list is here: http://www.dgrin.com/showpost.php?p=1352859&postcount=16

Looks like yours was uploaded too late.

Thanks for the reply.

Being in Australia, I am used to being a day in front of US based sites...

I thought that I entered before the closing date, right in the last five minutes. It was not my intention to enter so late, however it may happen again! So I would like to resolve this timing issue.

As I enter this post, it is 8.51am Wed. 24th March 2010


Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

DeuceFour

BinaryFx wrote:

As I enter this post, it is 8.51am Wed. 24th March 2010

That means you posted on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 @ 1751 or 5:51p.m. EST or New York Time

Nikonic1

My personal favorites from the challenge, (except mine of course ). All absolutely fabulous efforts and very well done in all facets.

sh4dow - How did you light the Kiwis? They are so incredibly vibrant and sharp and every detail is apparent. Very well done.


sh4d0w - Slices of Green



Kidzmom - Wow. I'm not sure what else to say. This shot is awesome. That said, I'm not sure if I like this one better or the first one you had posted better. Both are mindblowing. Your newborn photography is at a different level than most I've seen. Well done.

Kidzmom - Little Sprout


vandana- What a moving shot. The detail is spectacular. I only wish half my photos came out this sharp. This is just plain spot on. Nicely done.

vandana - those haunting eyes


Curious Camel - AWESOME!!!!

The Curious Camel - Chondro

BinaryFx

DeuceFour wrote:

That means you posted on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 @ 1751 or 5:51p.m. EST or New York Time

Thanks, so I am a day in front...I will have to double check how I missed the entry period.

In future, should this be discussed in the disqualification thread posted earlier - rather than in this topic thread?


Cheers,

Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

MarkR

BinaryFx wrote:

Thanks, so I am a day in front...I will have to double check how I missed the entry period.

In future, should this be discussed in the disqualification thread posted earlier - rather than in this topic thread?


Cheers,

Stephen Marsh

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

I would, if only because the Mod is more likely to be watching that thread for issues, and might be able to offer some assistance.

DeuceFour

kidzmom

Nikonic1, Thank you! I also really liked that first shot I posted, but didn't want to risk a DQ with the EXIF being off a touch. Anyway....the reshoot went okay. I'm actually never happy, lol. Thank you for your kind comments! I adore taking pictures of sleeping subjects!

As for my 4 favs outside of my little man...lol---I think I would also have to choose the 3 you did PLUS yours. I adore your stairs. It is so inviting, mysterious, and fairy-tale like all at the same time! Very cool location and great pp + crop!

Kinkajou

here are my top 10 in gallery order:



Really nice job, guys!

If anyone has a moment, I'd appreciate it if you could give me a little C&C on my entry, either here or in the gallery. TIA!

cmurph

Kinkajou wrote:

If anyone has a moment, I'd appreciate it if you could give me a little C&C on my entry, either here or in the gallery. TIA!

Hi Kristin,

First don't start thinking this isn't a great shot it is. Its very soothing to the eye and was very high in my list. Green as a theme at first seems easy which is also where it gets difficult as everyone can shoot green so you have to find something that stands out amongst the 57. The shot is technically all here so you have made it. I am not 100% sure on the dof it possibly seems a bit out of place for a shot like this and or it leaves (sorry) the far right side void and causes your focal point to start blending in with the entire shot. The color and light are spot on - you have no distracting blown highlights but you may consider bumping up the saturation to make the plant pop a bit more or consider lowering the light around your subject to make it stand out. With out the title the shot struggles to hold my attention as I am unable to form and an emotional connection, or I don't understand the story behind the plant. With the title I understand where you are going so keep an eye out for shooting a shot that can first stand on its own with out any titles. Don't be afraid to take the shot into your editing program of choice and push it to its breaking points. When I find a shot that fits my composition tastes I first take it into Photoshop and spend an hour or so messing with the light to see how far it will go its the only way I have found (for me) that tells me how much or how little I can push a shot - I think a lot of times we all get concerned that we are going to over bake a shot and you do need to be concerned with this but with out messing with the light and darks you won't ever know just what might have been. Save multiple versions of the files and then look at them in a gallery all together. All in all I think you went with a safe choice and sometime you just have to take a step back, throw everything out the window and go where no one is going - in the end you have to be satisfied with your shot and if you are its a winner no matter what others think. Hope this helps keep up the good work I really enjoy your art.

WhatSheSaw

Thanks, cmurph, for the detailed critique! I find it helpful to read this kind of thing whether it is my shot or someone else's. I sometimes find it hard to articulate why a shot works or doesn't and what might be done to improve it.

kidzmom

Wow, Cmurph...what a wonderful detailed critique and response. I can see now why you were the winner of the mega challenge, lol! Your approach to a photo is really thorough and I liked reading your mental processes! Such great insight. Great shot Kinkajou. When I first saw it I thought (after wondering whether it was lens baby), was that it was soothing and swirly at the same time. I agree with cmurph on the lot of the points--and can see the reasoning/logic. For me the swirl feel to the lens helped draw me into the plant, but it wasn't in my top 3 pics just because it didn't seem as creative as some of the other ideas--just easier of an idea for green than some others. I liked how for example Nikonic1 searched to find green moss around the stairs...somewhere where you wouldn't expect green---and the green being there but not BEING the point--the stairs and the mystery draw you in and the green enhances it. Great shot though with the light and color

sherstone

cmurph wrote:

snip.... in the end you have to be satisfied with your shot and if you are its a winner no matter what others think. Hope this helps keep up the good work I really enjoy your art.

great feedback! Thank you for taking the time. We all benefit from it.

Kinkajou

Yeah, that's exactly what I needed, thank you.

I did actually spend a whole bunch of time playing around with this shot... I did layer masking to blur the background a bit and add some vignetting to try to separate out the primary plant (someone had suggested that it needed to stand out from the background more in the initial C&C), I boosted the saturation and pumped up the greens, played a good deal with levels/curves/contrast and did have multiple versions of it. I felt like if I went much further with it then it was too much, but I could definitely try pushing it more to see how it goes. And, I did pull my 'safe' shot in place of this one

The title/story thing is something you mentioned about my entry for the previous challenge, so that's something that I'll definitely try to focus on in the future.

I'll play around this particular some more just for experimentation, but maybe this shot is missing some fundamental elements that would allow it to be "great". I don't think it is "great" and I definitely don't think it deserved to win, but I was just wondering how others viewed it. Thanks again for taking the time to comment and for the kind compliment!

cmurph

Ok so sometimes it is easier to show it vs talk about it. Hope you don't mind I pulled your shot in and attempted a rework to give you an idea.

Before



After - turn the lights down low - warm it up to give it that morning glow - add a blinds mask and call it good morning. Title helps to give it that feeling of getting up in the morning and seeing the sunshine come through and warms you and your plants up.

kidzmom

Cmurph--I'm really anxious to see your edit, but unfortunately the links aren't coming up for me ???

cmurph

Ooops - sorry about that Oh mods if this is not ok to do please blast this one out of here I can follow up with Kristin via pm or Kristin if you really don't want this on here please do let me know and I will be happy to delete or again mods please delete the post if needed. - clearly not my intension to run away with your shot strictly education purpose only

sherstone

cmurph wrote:

Ooops - sorry about that Oh mods if this is not ok to do please blast this one out of here I can follow up with Kristin via pm or Kristin if you really don't want this on here please do let me know and I will be happy to delete or again mods please delete the post if needed. - clearly not my intension to run away with your shot strictly education purpose only

Traditionally unless asked it would not be considered proper. In this case I feel 1. You were asked to help and do a C&C and posting a picture edit is part of that process if you desire. 2. The whole purpose of this thread is to give feedback.

If I were to change anything it would be to post them slightly smaller, maybe L size, (which I have edited your post to display). But its not an enormous deal.

Thank you cmurph for again taking the time to help.

kidzmom

Great edit Cmurph! Really amazing to come up with that look...It gives me a different appreciation for the photo. Both are wonderful (and very different feelings for each). It is very interesting to see what people come up with in terms of ideas for editing. Great to see your take on it!

slpollett

I also appreciate the detailed critique provided by Cmurph (even though it wasn't my photo). It's interesting to me to read about the thought processes of the judges and others who view our entries. I really LOVE seeing the 'before' and 'after' images. Wow! What a difference a few little things can make. Just goes to show that I have a LOT to learn!!

Thanks,

Sherry

ps: Also, thanks Kinkajou for listing my little photo in your favorites. That made my day.

sherstone

BinaryFx wrote:

Thanks, so I am a day in front...I will have to double check how I missed the entry period.

In future, should this be discussed in the disqualification thread posted earlier - rather than in this topic thread?

Just saw this - sorry to take so long to answer:
Before I send out the PM's to the judges to judge the images, I need to "scrub" the galleries. This is done after the uploading deadline. Scrubbing includes looking for repeat postings from the same user, deleting images that have been marked to be deleted, checking for valid EXIF info, checking for frames, etc...

When I began the process your image had not been uploaded. It only showed up well after the deadline had passed.

To avoid future disappointment please upload early to avoid the rush

Kinkajou

Yeah, I have absolutely no problem with someone working on and reposting a shot I had posted for critique... so I'm for it.

That said, I don't think the rework is my cup of tea

I'm actually quite happy that you did take it and do a rework, and I really appreciate the time that you put into it. It makes clear what you had in mind, which happens to be something different from my own 'style'. And there's nothing wrong with that! Clearly it works for other folks and if we didn't all have our own individual tastes and niches in this world, it would be really boring!

So thanks, cmurph for really diving in deep with this, that was just awesome. Even if your vision for the shot was not the same as mine, I think a whole bunch of us learned a whole lot in the process. Thank you!

DeuceFour

Ok.. So KIDZMOM won the Challenge with the photo "Little Sprout". Congratulations on that great win by the way!!. But personally something is bugging me a little bit about this photo and I thought I would write down a little critique. I think it's a very nice photo, and the baby is adorable! But my eyes just won't let me believe that the background bokeh isn't artificially created. It seems to me like the shallow depth of field comes on way too soon. It's as if the background was completely replaced or the bokeh that was already there was blurred even more. Maybe this is more of a question, on what was done to the background?

sunflowerstudio

I see what duecefour means -- how did you get the background green completely out of focus, while the entire face and foreground are sharp?

the baby sprout is indeed adorable, though.

DeuceFour wrote:

Ok.. So KIDZMOM won the Challenge with the photo "Little Sprout". Congratulations on that great win by the way!!. But personally something is bugging me a little bit about this photo and I thought I would write down a little critique. I think it's a very nice photo, and the baby is adorable! But my eyes just won't let me believe that the background bokeh isn't artificially created. It seems to me like the shallow depth of field comes on way too soon. It's as if the background was completely replaced or the bokeh that was already there was blurred even more. Maybe this is more of a question, on what was done to the background?

sunflowerstudio

If I remember correctly, the photo was from a farmer's market? If so, I can see why kinkajou doesn't like the new version -- it's become a stylized studio, interior shot, instead of a vibrant, natural light, outdoor shot.

But, I do like the feeling of light flowing through the picture in the altered version, and I think that's what I'm missing in the original, a feeling of modeling from the light source, which leads me into the context of the space in which the picture was taken. What emotions did you want in the picture? I'm imagining tender, spicy, morning, energy, tasty, food, . . . (though you might have others).

Oh, and I certainly don't want to cast myself as an expert -- I'm a novice, but an opinionated one, and I think the point of posting pictures is to have people think about them.

cmurph wrote:

Ok so sometimes it is easier to show it vs talk about it. Hope you don't mind I pulled your shot in and attempted a rework to give you an idea.

Before



After - turn the lights down low - warm it up to give it that morning glow - add a blinds mask and call it good morning. Title helps to give it that feeling of getting up in the morning and seeing the sunshine come through and warms you and your plants up.

sunflowerstudio

Oops, sorry that I didn't unlink the section w/ the pictures.

Kinkajou

It was an indoor shot with bounced flash as the natural light was fading quickly, but I think the revised version is a little * too * dark and stylized for me; I prefer fresh, clean, simpler images. I guess what I was going for was a crisp, fresh, new-growth green, but the lighting setup really didn't allow that. I do think that you're right about the lack of modeling from the light... it seems to be just be too flat.