As the politicians would say "You are both right...it just depends" Each person is built uniquely and has a set of unique personal aspects which allow them to react differently to the same situation.
I, personally, am happier with direction, especially at this early stage in my photography 'life', as it helps me to focus on something, rather than running around like a headless chicken - which my wife says I'm very good at.
I can see, though, that other people may find direction (theme) limiting to their abilities to free their mind and go out to 'find' the photograph they are after.
Neither is wrong or right, it's just because we're wired different. For SF1, after doing my headless chicken impression for a while, and listening to what all the good folks here had to say, I sat down and looked at what kind of photography I felt safe taking, in a limited time frame, for a competition. It's not easy getting around the Philippines (driving 50 miles can take all day), so I had to focus on what I felt comfortable with and also what was within my location.
In the end I got what I thought was a good shot, one that I would hang on my wall and that one that wouldn’t offend the judges. I’m happy. I’m also exhausted. I have learned a lot from reading what everyone has had to say about how to improve images, how to be like a crocodile and how to relax.:slurp
My internal theme(s) are not necessarily "family/office safe"
Pray tell, which one?
It's not the question of how I shoot. It's the question of how it'd be judged...
All I'm saying is themeless contests are hard, much harder than the themed ones, that's all...
In an unthemed contest, though, you're only judged on the quality of the photo. None of this worrying about whether or not it fits the theme of the contest ("is this one 'angular' enough?").
I tell you what, I'll do you a favor. Next themeless contest, I'll pick a theme for anybody who wants one. (The judging is your problem.)
In an unthemed contest, though, you're only judged on the quality of the photo. None of this worrying about whether or not it fits the theme of the contest ("is this one 'angular' enough?").
I tell you what, I'll do you a favor. Next themeless contest, I'll pick a theme for anybody who wants one. (The judging is your problem.)
The reason I find shooting to a theme easier than an unthemed one is that the theme acts as a "hook" into the photo. The viewer is aware of the theme and that foreknowlege draws the eye to a particular aspect of the photo which might otherwise be overlooked. Beyond that, the theme gives me at least a small clue about what the judges are going to be looking for which is more than I have in the unthemed contest.
Comments
As the politicians would say "You are both right...it just depends"
I, personally, am happier with direction, especially at this early stage in my photography 'life', as it helps me to focus on something, rather than running around like a headless chicken - which my wife says I'm very good at.
I can see, though, that other people may find direction (theme) limiting to their abilities to free their mind and go out to 'find' the photograph they are after.
Neither is wrong or right, it's just because we're wired different. For SF1, after doing my headless chicken impression for a while, and listening to what all the good folks here had to say, I sat down and looked at what kind of photography I felt safe taking, in a limited time frame, for a competition. It's not easy getting around the Philippines (driving 50 miles can take all day), so I had to focus on what I felt comfortable with and also what was within my location.
In the end I got what I thought was a good shot, one that I would hang on my wall and that one that wouldn’t offend the judges. I’m happy.
Thank you.
My images | My blog | My free course
In an unthemed contest, though, you're only judged on the quality of the photo. None of this worrying about whether or not it fits the theme of the contest ("is this one 'angular' enough?").
I tell you what, I'll do you a favor. Next themeless contest, I'll pick a theme for anybody who wants one. (The judging is your problem.)
The reason I find shooting to a theme easier than an unthemed one is that the theme acts as a "hook" into the photo. The viewer is aware of the theme and that foreknowlege draws the eye to a particular aspect of the photo which might otherwise be overlooked. Beyond that, the theme gives me at least a small clue about what the judges are going to be looking for which is more than I have in the unthemed contest.