SF4 - And Cue Crisis of Doubt...

LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
edited February 2, 2008 in The Dgrin Challenges
This happens every time. Every time, dang it! I swear taking pictures is just another form of self-flagellation sometimes. :rolleyes

I feel pretty strongly about my current entry, but, well, it's weird. I can freely admit this--it's a friggin' weird concept. This can be good or bad, it just depends on who's looking at it. (Me? I love it. But I'm weird, so I may be a bit biased. :D) I worry that the story won't invite enough people in, that it'll turn more away because of it's weirdness.

So I shot something else yesterday for pure fun, and I wonder if the more approachable story makes it a stronger competitor. Of course, these shots are extremely different. (Some day I may develop a consistent "style," but I think I'm too much a spaz for that to truly happen.)

I started debating this since last night, and I figure some other opinions couldn't hurt.

Current Entry: Unplugged
246363549-L.jpg

Potential Contender: Pop!
249401828-L.jpg

Pros and cons as I've been considering them:
- Pro: Current entry is unique, Con: But is it cliché?
- Pro: Current entry is weird and the last SF finalists were also weird (good weird--I consider all weird "good"), Con: Current entry is weird (too weird?)
- Pro: Contender has humor, Con: It is very similar to my last SF entry, which did not progress any further

Your thoughts?

As always, thanks for stopping by! :thumb
Failed to load the poll.

Comments

  • kwalshkwalsh Registered Users Posts: 223 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    I prefer your current entry. Weird is OK :).

    Ken
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    I voted for Unplugged. But if I was doing that shot I'd make it grittier.
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • Izzy GaravitoIzzy Garavito Registered Users Posts: 228 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    hi Kerry! I voted for unplugged; its great. I'm also a spaz so I know what you mean. I love your style
  • LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    pyroPrints.com wrote:
    I voted for Unplugged. But if I was doing that shot I'd make it grittier.

    Grittier, eh? Hm... My mind immediately thinks of "noise" when you say that. Is that what you had in mind?
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    Llywellyn wrote:
    Grittier, eh? Hm... My mind immediately thinks of "noise" when you say that. Is that what you had in mind?
    a little noise and also subtle grunge texture, sort of like i did here:

    MurderOnMyMind3.jpg

    but that's just me.
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    pyroPrints.com wrote:
    a little noise and also subtle grunge texture...

    Hm..I'll give it a go and see how it looks. thumb.gif
  • RockportersRockporters Registered Users Posts: 225 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    I really like your current entry, does that classify me as weird ne_nau.gif ? Personally, I love the clarity of your photo, and wouldn't care for added noise. But that's the thing with art, different strokes for different folks.

    If I could change one thing, it would be the 'unplugged' cord. The end of the cord just doesn't stand out from the wall. The unplugged concept could be just as strong with the cord on the floor, or more lined up in front of the light colored outlet.

    Just a small nitpick, the photo is really good as-is.
    Beth

    Nikon D300
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    [SIZE=-3]Mary Beth Glasmann Photography[/SIZE]
  • LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    Rockporters wrote:
    I really like your current entry, does that classify me as weird ne_nau.gif ? Personally, I love the clarity of your photo, and wouldn't care for added noise. But that's the thing with art, different strokes for different folks.

    If I could change one thing, it would be the 'unplugged' cord. The end of the cord just doesn't stand out from the wall. The unplugged concept could be just as strong with the cord on the floor, or more lined up in front of the light colored outlet.

    Just a small nitpick, the photo is really good as-is.

    Thanks, Beth! And I think I cap the market on weird. After all, I did imagine this up. eek7.gif

    And thank you for the note about the plug. It's the one part of the photo I keep on tweaking, so it's good to know it isn't just my anal eye picking up on it. I shall continue to tweak. thumb.gif
  • pyroPrints.compyroPrints.com Registered Users Posts: 1,383 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    Llywellyn wrote:
    anal eye
    eek7.gif

    PS: anyhow the noise and the grunge don't have to be both in there. Try both or either and see =c).
    pyroPrints.com (my little t-shirt shop)
    pyroPrints.com/5819572 The Photo Section
  • LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    pyroPrints.com wrote:
    eek7.gif

    Awesome visual, neh? What kind of photograph would that make...? :giggle
  • DeuceFourDeuceFour Registered Users Posts: 350 Major grins
    edited February 1, 2008
    The button popping off the blouse in the second picture just dosn't look real or natural to me, funny picture though! Unplugged for the win!
    BrandonPotterPhotography.com
  • quarkquark Registered Users Posts: 510 Major grins
    edited February 2, 2008
    I really like the current entry as well but I agree the plug is odd. I think you need to drop it to the floor, floating it just causes distraction.
    heather dillon photography - Pacific Northwest Portraits and Places
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    Quarks are one of the two basic constituents of matter in the Standard Model of particle physics.
  • TentacionTentacion Registered Users Posts: 940 Major grins
    edited February 2, 2008
    Llywellyn wrote:
    This happens every time. Every time, dang it! I swear taking pictures is just another form of self-flagellation sometimes. rolleyes1.gif

    ! thumb.gif

    Laughing.gif...I think that is my quote ...rotflmao


    I like both your shots...but I agree about the button...

    and the only thing that grabs me about your current entry is the position of the "plug"...wouldn't it seem more natural if it were hanging out of the socket...i.e. "Unplugged"?? But I do like the creativeness of it.
    You're only as good as your next photo....
    One day, I started writing, not knowing that I had chained myself for life to a noble but merciless master. When God hands you a gift, he also hands you a whip; and the whip is intended solely for self-flagellation...I'm here alone in my dark madness, all by myself with my deck of cards --- and, of course, the whip God gave me." Truman Capote
  • merrisweelmerrisweel Registered Users Posts: 22 Big grins
    edited February 2, 2008
    glowing plug
    I also prefer "unplugged" and I know you've discussed the plug not standing out from the wall enough previously, but what bothers me about it is that it "glows" because you have appeared to lighten it to make it stand out from the wall, so now there's an orb around it. You should try lightening up more of the wall so it doesn't look like theres a dodged circle there. Unless thats what you were going for... then just ignore my comment iloveyou.gif
  • LlywellynLlywellyn Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 3,186 Major grins
    edited February 2, 2008
    Thanks, all, for your thoughts and comments. I do have shots where the plug is on the floor, but it gets even more lost--something I noticed during the shoot, which is why I switched tactics while shooting the plug's location.

    Merriswheel, thank you for your good eye! I actually had a flashlight pointed at the plug to "spot" it and make it glow, but I deadened the effect in post. I brightened it back up again today after a couple of the previous comments. I don't think I'm going to make everyone happy on that plug, and it's now officially driving me batty. rolleyes1.gif

    Maybe I'll have some fresh eyes tomorrow and get something closer to acceptable on that stubborn plug. :D
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