Sedate

Nikolai

Being non-native English speaker I'm having trouble with this part of the LPS#8. :rolleyes
I googled and wikied, but most of the stuff I found was not differentiating it from peaceful, quiet or tranquil.:dunno
So my question is - what is the difference? What subtleties would tell them apart? :scratch
TIA! :thumb

greenpea

Another word I might use to describe sedate is "calm" or "relaxed". The first thing that comes to mind is (jokingly) saying to my wife we need to sedate my 3 year old daughter when she is running around tearing up the house. My 3 year old daughter is never sedate.

Maybe this will also help.

Nikolai

greenpea wrote:

Another word I might use to describe sedate is "calm" or "relaxed". The first thing that comes to mind is (jokingly) saying to my wife we need to sedate my 3 year old daughter when she is running around tearing up the house. My 3 year old daughter is never sedate.

Maybe this will also help.

Yes, of course, calm and relaxed, thank you, I forgot to mention those.

However, I cannot push away the feeling that sedate has some medical/forced/negative meaning as opposed to all those above that do not.

greenpea

Nikolai wrote:

Yes, of course, calm and relaxed, thank you, I forgot to mention those.

However, I cannot push away the feeling that sedate has some medical/forced/negative meaning as opposed to all those above that do not.

The medical negative meaning comes from watching too much TV. The crazy guy walks into the hospital emergency room and they say that he needs to be sedated. If you're out of control acting dangerous to yourself and others they'll give you a sedative.

:snore= sedate

= not sedate (might need to be sedated).

schmoo

Nikolai wrote:

However, I cannot push away the feeling that sedate has some medical/forced/negative meaning as opposed to all those above that do not.

I'm sure you could go that route for your photo idea, too!

HoofClix

So we see the argument as to how to select the finalists already begins! What will the judges think the word means? My wife says that I don't understand "sedate," so to stick to explosive. Let's all have fun with the challenge.

So Nik, if I do "sedate," I plan to avoid the verb, which connotates the force you speak of. I also plan to avoid tranquil nature scenes. I would focus on expressing the ability to remaim tranquil when all else is not.

pathfinder

Nikolai wrote:

Yes, of course, calm and relaxed, thank you, I forgot to mention those.

However, I cannot push away the feeling that sedate has some medical/forced/negative meaning as opposed to all those above that do not.

I think you are correct, Nikolai.

"Sedate" as an adjective, merely brings slow, but less than serene to mind. "Sedate" as an adjective does not mean quickly or spritely, but a slower...sedate ...pace - a calm, dignified, unhurried pace.

But as a verb - "sedate" - means the use of drugs to calm or slow one down. Either IV or by mouth. Might be Valium or a major tranquilizer for a psychotic episode.

You takes your choice, I guess.

LiquidAir

Nikolai wrote:

Yes, of course, calm and relaxed, thank you, I forgot to mention those.

However, I cannot push away the feeling that sedate has some medical/forced/negative meaning as opposed to all those above that do not.

As adjectives, sedate, tranquil, quiet, calm, and relaxed are all very similar. It is when you treat them as verbs that they start picking up rather distinct connotations. Think about this set: sedate, tranquilize, quiet, calm and relax; each paints a very different picture about how the same outcome is achieved.

Look at it this way. If your kid is lounging around on the couch staring out the window you can describe him as sedate, tranquil, quiet, calm or relaxed and the meaning is not dramatically different. However, if your kid running around the house yelling, saying "Honey, please sedate our boy" is very differernt from "Honey, please tranquilze our boy, " "Honey, please quiet our boy," "Honey, please calm our boy" or "Hey, boy, relax!"

nikos

Nikolai wrote:

Being non-native English speaker I'm having trouble with this part of the LPS#8.
I googled and wikied, but most of the stuff I found was not differentiating it from peaceful, quiet or tranquil.
So my question is - what is the difference? What subtleties would tell them apart?
TIA!

The meanings of those words (as well as just about any other) will differ with various people. Certain words trigger emotions differently in each person -- similar to the Rorschach Inkblot tests.

If we try to define each word so that there is a single, simple meaning then most entries would look similar. If you feel that a word conveys a certain meaning to you, then by all means, go with that feeling as it should help you compose a more powerful picture.

Here are my thoughts on the words you listed:
Peaceful -- a place that simply allows me to relax comfortably. A picturesque scene would involve a hammoc, grass, horizon of mountains and a refreshing breeze.

Quiet -- a moment in time that I realize the daily noise pollution levels are much lower than normal. A picturesque scene may involve an enclosed phonebooth in a noisy bar during happy hour where I can comfortably talk without having to keep asking "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Tranquil -- This would be the granddaddy of places that completely soothes my body and senses. A picturesque scene would definitely involve a view of the ocean mixed with something that came from a Corona commercial.

Nikos

Dee

Sedate
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sedate

An excellent explanation of the word sedate.

To me, sedate means this: calm, serious and dignified

and furthermore, to me it means mature, someone who through experienced has managed to become sedate in manner or bearing.

A sedated person (medically sedated) to me is different from a person who is in a state of being sedate. So the medically sedated would be calm, but not necessarily serious or dignified.

Hope this helps...

richtersl

The definition I found was "Serenely deliberate, composed, and dignified in character or manner" (from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sedate). This, to me, would indicate that the definition would apply to a human or an animal.

Someone like this Hindu guru might fit the definition of "sedate": http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/8/81/180px-Vivekananda.png

Even this cat looks sedate by that definition: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Cat_face_portrait_resting.jpg/800px-Cat_face_portrait_resting.jpg

As does this dog: http://www.best-dog-photos.com/images/Happy-Dog.jpg

I'd have a hard time figuring out how to apply that to a nature scene.

HoofClix

nikos wrote:

If you feel that a word conveys a certain meaning to you, then by all means, go with that feeling as it should help you compose a more powerful picture.

Nikos

For me, Nikos' point gets us past all of the banter in the last round over what judges like and don't like. Stop tayloring your photos to the judge and go with what your view is. Express your view, not the judges. Won't we then be recognized as individual photographers?

Nikolai

HoofClix wrote:

For me, Nikos' point gets us past all of the banter in the last round over what judges like and don't like. Stop tayloring your photos to the judge and go with what your view is. Express your view, not the judges. Won't we then be recognized as individual photographers?

We already know that a even great picture can be easily outlawed if it has nothing to do with the theme whatsoever.
I do not understand exact meaning of the word, and I never saw/heard it used (except for the aforementioned medical term), so I don't want to make a silly mistake.

Is a still lake sedate?
Is an Indian chief smoking a pipe sedate?
Is a sleepy baby sedate?
Is a sleeping dog/cat sedate?
Is a mighty oak (again, with no presence of the wind) sedate?
Is a person quietly standing in grocery line doing nothing sedate?
Is a person reading a newspaper and waiting for the boarding the airplane sedate?
Are people in the doctor's entry office sedate?
Are cars on Hwy 405 during the peak hours sedate?

Darn you Shay, couldn't you use some other synonym, e,g, tranquil?

LiquidAir

Nikolai wrote:

Is a still lake sedate?

Maybe but unlikely. Since lakes don't usually conjur the vision of dramatic activity, I think they would not often be described as sedate.

Nikolai wrote:

Is an Indian chief smoking a pipe sedate?

If he looks calm and relaxed about it, I'd say yes. If he is running around doing it, not so much.

Nikolai wrote:

Is a sleepy baby sedate?

Yes.

Nikolai wrote:

Is a sleeping dog/cat sedate?

Personally I think of sleeping and sedate as different, but there are likely to be quibbles on that point.

Nikolai wrote:

Is a mighty oak (again, with no presence of the wind) sedate?

Generally, oaks aren't known for great bouts of activity, so I'd say no. Shot right, a fallen tree might possibly communicate sedate.

Nikolai wrote:

Is a person quietly standing in grocery line doing nothing sedate?

Personally I am almost never sedate when I am waiting for something, so I'd say no.

Nikolai wrote:

Is a person reading a newspaper and waiting for the boarding the airplane sedate?

Again, probably not.

Nikolai wrote:

Are people in the doctor's entry office sedate?

No. Generally there is way to much anxiety associated with the doctor's office to even think about being sedate.

Nikolai wrote:

Are cars on Hwy 405 during the peak hours sedate?

I can't imagine anything this frustrating being sedate. Are you calm and relaxed when stuck in rush hour traffic? If you are, you are decidedly in the minority.

Robert

Nikolai wrote:

Is a still lake sedate?
Is an Indian chief smoking a pipe sedate?
Is a sleepy baby sedate?
Is a sleeping dog/cat sedate?
Is a mighty oak (again, with no presence of the wind) sedate?
Is a person quietly standing in grocery line doing nothing sedate?
Is a person reading a newspaper and waiting for the boarding the airplane sedate?
Are people in the doctor's entry office sedate?
Are cars on Hwy 405 during the peak hours sedate?

My interpretation:

In a daze, calm, restful

In some of the above it would depend on the person’s facial expression.
While the lake may not be sedate, looking at the picture may sedate the viewer.
The chief may well be sedate, depending of what he was smoking.
Sleepy – yes, same reason as below.
As of sleeping – sedate says still awake to me.

From the Oxford Dictionary:
Tranquil, equable, composed, settled, not impulsive or lively.

Encarta ® World English Dictionary:
unhurried: dignified, subdued, and lacking any sense of hurry or urgency

saurora

If the Indian chief is decribed as 'sedate' he is calm, quiet and dignified. If he is sleepy from something he smoked...he might be sedated!

Sedate is often used to describe a luxury automobile. Think classy, quiet, dignified, understated, conservative but with an air of confidence. These adjectives also describe a sedate individual equally well.

Here's an idea of the verb ' sedate'. A photograph of a lecturer giving a boring speech and the entire audience is asleep. That would say 'sedate' to me in the verb form of the word.

HoofClix

Well Nik, I suppose I really talked about who we should shoot for once we decide for ourselves what the definition is. Shoot to express your own final opinion, I say.

Would it confuse things to ask if "explosive" is to be defined as the exact opposite of "sedate?" Is explosive an adjective, an adverb, or a noun? If I take a picture of a stick of dynamite sitting on a table in a misty fog, is that sedate or explosive? Or both? Potentially destructive energy, but hot yet in the act of destroying?

Tentacion

saurora wrote:

If the Indian chief is decribed as 'sedate' he is calm, quiet and dignified. If he is sleepy from something he smoked...he might be sedated!

Hey Saurora, didn't mean to laugh (and I agree with your verbage), but being Native American, this just struck me as hilarious, cuz I have witnessed it first hand, when I have been at Indian Ceremonies...rotflmao

Donna

Nikolai

Thanks everyone for your input!
I hope the subject became more clear (if not for me, at least for everybody else;-)

Pat664422

I would think HoofClix has the right idea for understanding what Sedate means in this contest, especially if the contest is supposed to be about contrasting themes. Perhaps thinking about what it means to be explosive and then looking for the antithesis of that?

tsk1979

If a judge likes your picture then its explosive or sedate, if he/she does not then its not.
Simple
For example once I was told that my photo is Jagged, not angular, though Roget's thesaurus equates angular and jagged.
So this is case-analysis, as we engineers say
1. Judge does not like your photo and it does not fit theme
Judge will say no theme
2. Judge does not like your photo and it somewhat fits theme
Judge will most probably say no theme
3. Judge does not like your photo and it fits theme
Judge will critique photo
4. Judge likes your photo and does not fit theme at all
no theme,
5. Judge likes your photo and it slightly or loosly fits theme
Selected!
6. Judge likes photo and fits theme
Selected.

So
1. Judge has to like your photo
2. If that is true it should loosely or strongly fit theme.

As for Sedate
A still lake will be sedate if its beautifully clicked, otherwise you can either get "Does not fit theme" from the judge or get a critique, depending upon how much time or patience the judge has.

urbanaries

yep...this is still a photo contest, not a theme interpretation contest....

BistiArt

What to Do, WHAT to do

richtersl wrote:

The definition I found was "Serenely deliberate, composed, and dignified in character or manner" (from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sedate). This, to me, would indicate that the definition would apply to a human or an animal.



I'd have a hard time figuring out how to apply that to a nature scene.

Linda And Nik,

Perhaps a shot of Lady Margaret Thatcher at the club might exemplify sedate.

Linda, Your definitions are succinct, and I am in the same boat about nature scenes...

Although Majestic Blessing, shot in Canyonlands and an award-winner (1st Place - LANDSCAPES- Members Choice : recent camera club banquet) is out of LPS' time line, perhaps it might describe JOY?

"... He's not advertising; rather, he's seeking honest critiques http://bistiart.smugmug.com/gallery/2369171#166152927"

wxwax

pathfinder wrote:

a calm, dignified, unhurried pace.

That works for me.

Flyinggina

tsk1979 wrote:

I
So
1. Judge has to like your photo
2. If that is true it should loosely or strongly fit theme.

Right on tsk. I have had the same experience. Your if/then list agrees with my observations exactly based on the results in the first 7 challenges and the first semi. When you think about it that way, it all becomes very simple. The hard part is taking that show stopping photo in the first place. Keep shooting.

Virginia

Justiceiro

I don't know if I am alone in this, but I think that the connotations of sedate (i.e sedation, to "be sedated") can imply a sort of menace. Particularly when combined with "explosive." I'm thinking of a perfectly still, coiled snake or something. It's certainly sedate, but it could be explosive. It's an interesting theme.