>>> LPS#18 - Feedback Thread

DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
edited December 31, 2007 in The Dgrin Challenges
The seconds and milliseconds are over, here are the comments your judges have provided to me via PM. They may add more to this thread in the next few days...

Also, you'll notice that as Shay has always liked, full disclosure, each judges top10 have been indicated (otherwise, their comments don't make much sense :lol3).
Erik
moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


Comments

  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    ian408's comments:
    I had a tough time with this for a variety of reasons. The biggest is that my interpretation of the theme forthis contest implies the difference between a very,very short time and a very short time :)

    I'm going to leave the individual comments out and say that generally I felt the most entrants lacked anunderstanding of the theme. These demonstrate some understanding. Like (my) #1. Wow. That's a split second.

    -Ian

    1 - 38 - douglas - Cutting Down On The Light Bill
    2 - 49 - hawkeye978 - Glitter Bomb
    3 - 14 - tlee - Imminent Ignition
    4 - 4 - adrian_k - Gone in a flash
    5 - 9 - rolandallen - Night Train To Los Angeles
    6 - 16 - NewCreation517 - Don't Tell My Wife
    7 - 59 - sherstone - Bustle Break
    8 - 7 - trihokie - 2 Timer
    9 - 30 - AaronNelson - Zoom
    10 - 17 - bgraas2001 - a good beating
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    Gary Glass' comments:
    #1 - 02 - greensquared - The Potter's Hands
    #2 - 48 - stedonovan - Drop from Above
    #3 - 23 - muzhik - Frozen in Time
    #4 - 19 - photogmomma - more mac & cheese.... please?
    #5 - 56 - NanaMo - Perfect timing...
    #6 - 38 - douglas - Cutting Down On The Light Bill
    #7 - 46 - getchphoto - Secondhand Musical
    #8 - 41 - fashiznitsngrins - Twinkle in Time
    #9 - 44 - leaforte - Vibration
    #10 - 63 - Strikeslip - Newton's Law

    #1 - This is a photo that might have failed in all of its parts but it works perfectly as a whole. It's blurry, monotonic, sepia... but all of that suits the tone perfectly, and the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Framing, composition, set up, light, and color are all working together to build a beautiful pictorial moment.

    #2 - There several similar shots in this round. It's an obvious choice for the theme, and it's become a conventional subject. This one works better than the others for several reasons: the colorful backdrop sets a festive almost chaotic mood, atypical for this subject. The asymmetry of the splash also bucks tradition, yet the symmetry of the framing plays to convention, the tension between these two thematic directly again working along with the delightful mood. Finally the sharpness of the photo along with the color reflections make the water look like glass, re-echoing that tension between form and flow, frozen time.

    #3 - This shot is also an admirable work of compositional tension: white vs dark, liquid vs ice, motion vs stasis, small vs large. Technically it's an impressive exercise in exposure balance: the whites manage to be bright without being blown out, and the big shadows are also full of detail. What I like best is the how the warm weight of the shadow seems to lean into the frozen light, threatening to swallow it or crush it, but the thin icy light is sufficient to withstand it.

    #4 - The girl's expression is priceless. The composition and framing are spot on. The girl's round head and the round bowl balance across a diagonal, creating a dynamic energetic composition that seems to thrust the bowl forward out of the picture plane -- thematically perfect. However I would like to have seen more sharpness and contrast.

    #5 - This one of two very similar shots in this round. Although the other entry is also a fair piece of work, this one excels. First of all, it's challenging. The underexposure asks the viewer to stop and consider what's going on here. And it repays that pause with a richly moody composition. Everything important here is in the shadows. The setting sun's light is not quite gone from the ground, but like a receding wave, seems quickly to be slipping off the snow. In another moment it'll be gone. The dark windmill and the bright sun set each other off, as do the clouds and snow, the sky and the ridge.

    #6 - Another example of a new twist on a stock theme: the frozen bullet. The compositional elements here play off that stock theme. If we hadn't seen a hundred pictures of breaking glass or exploding apples or speeding bullets, this shot would have less impact. Because it dances a surreal jig on those images. However, I think this could have been made stronger if the subject looked less set up, had more contextual elements, for example, a mixing bowl in the background.

    #7 - A beautiful meditative shot. White on white on white. Each thematic element echoes the other: old white piano, old white paint, old white snow. Even the lines of the siding reflect back upon the lines of the piano keys. However, I think the shot could be better framed: the crop is too close, the framing is offset in the wrong direction, the angle is too high. My feeling about the shot is that it is wonderful piece of found art that was not exploited to its full potential.

    #8 - I like shots that give me a new look at something familiar. This one does that. The viewer is immediately made very small -- small enough to live inside the miniature bower of a Christmas tree bough, sustained by the searing light of a single tiny bulb. I like how the needles seem to flutter and float above the light, suggestive of bacterial flagella or pili. However, I think the shot is weakened by the bit of color in the upper left; a straight greyscale would have worked better as the hint of color is just a distraction. Also, a horizontal crop might have suited the arrangement better.

    #9 - I'm usually not very interested in close-ups of instruments. But this one works and sustains my attention for several reasons: the story of the guitar is told in a few clear bright strokes across a jet sea. I like the way the rim of the box sweeps away into the distance like a line of breakers along a night beach. I like how the bridge is reflected in the watery blackness of the soundboard. I like how the out-of-focus pegs glimmer in the deep distance. Two things I don't like: I don't like the way the box is tilted off the horizontal. This treatment is classy and austere; the tilt doesn't work with that. Secondly I think the hole needs to be black; seeing inside the box puts too much white into the composition.

    #10 - Another treatment of the frozen droplet theme. The light on the surface of the water makes it look viscous, rather than frozen fast -- as though time has been slowed to a creeping pace. The complex reflections of red and blue give additional interest to the composition, as do the beautiful lines of the post and ball and the deep well they rise from. Drawbacks: the post is not vertical, the noise in the background is distracting, and a closer crop would better emphasize the part of the shot that works best.
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    Miguel Delinquento's comments:
    1-07-trihokie-2 Timer
    Comment: Perfect fit for theme, captures emotion in face of second place runner, nice style to shot, like the blurred orange pylon on left

    2-02-Greensquared-The Potter's Hands
    Comment: great texture and tone--reflects theme very well engaging shot

    3-48-stedonovan-Drop from Above
    Comment: great color and perspective

    4-04-adrian_k-gone in a flash
    Comment:captures theme very well, visually stimulating

    5-32-Dalantech-Blue Splash
    Comment: reflects theme well, great lenswork, and color

    6-42-ravic-Leaving off time
    Comment: Artful capture and skill in lenswork. Wish subject was larger

    7-05-pemmett-Taipei Traffic Triptych
    Comment: captures theme well and is witty

    8-54-TPBinKC-Break Time!!
    Comment: good energy-wish more of the face was seen

    9-50-lynnesite-Moment of Suspension
    Comment: nice color, framing, and sharpness. I keep looking at this picture

    10-26-achambers-Electric Light
    Comment: clever and fun
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    Nikolai's top 10:
    1 - 59 - sherstone - Bustle break
    2 - 09 - rolandallen - Night Train to Los Angeles
    3 - 17 - bgaras2001 - a good beating
    4 - 50 - lynnesite - Moment of Suspension
    5 - 40 - LiquidAir - Salt Water Taffy
    6 - 38 - douglas - Cutting Down On The Light Bill
    7 - 63 - Strikeslip - Newton's Law
    8 - 60 - The Curios Camel - they all fall down
    9 - 06 - jwear - Impending Doom
    10 - 07 - trihokie - 2 Timer
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    Doc's comments
    #1 - 32 - dalantech - blue splash
    I'm a scientist, a fluid mechanician, so am I biased when I picked this photo as a frozen second in time? You bet yer ass! lol3.gif But aside from the fact that when I think stop motion, I think a droplet with a perfect crown and satellite droplet formation, this image is also very pleasing. The color, the sharpness - well done both technically and emotionally.

    #2 - 5 - pemmett - taipei traffic triptych
    Maybe this is another case of me being a methodical thinker, but I can feel the seconds ticking down in this one. That sense of stopped motion is there. Usually not a huge triptych fan, but I like this one, in an almost cartoonish way, it tells me a story.

    #3 - 38 - douglas - cutting down on the light bill
    See my comment for #1. I've done my share of high-speed imaging in the lab, and again, nail on the head here. That kind of even really screams "MILLISECONDS!!!" so me. The dark mood, excellent composition, and good monochrome conversion just add to it.

    #4 - 9 - rolandallen - night train to LA
    In the same way the others say stopped motion to me, this one really says MANY seconds, progression in time. Textbook use of diagonal lines and composition here just make it a great photo.

    #5 - 17 - bgaras2001 - a good beating
    The color! The action! woo hoo we're at a party! No two seconds are the same!

    #6 - 63 - strikeslip - Newton's law
    Another droplet, so it has my attention. But the use of color and reflection in this one make it atypical. Very surreal and almost untrue. Also, the fluid must be atypical as we don't see the usual crown and jet formation. Yeah, I'm drawn in, but the visual impact is as good as the science.

    #7 - 52 - sunita - curvilicious
    This is a beautiful photo. The color, the curves, it certainly is delicious. Again, the fluidity of this speaks to me personally. Fluids (smoke included) are never the same as they flow, differing one second to the next.

    #8 - 59 - sherstone - bustle break
    Perhaps best of all, this photo really captures the theme. There are seconds and milliseconds ticking by AND being stopped in this scene. I wish it were a bit more colorful and grabbed my eye more. Technically it's good, composition, exposure, etc... just want a little more... pop? to get top votes.

    #9 - 54 - TPBinKC - break time!!
    This is an action photo, plain and simple. Good composition, blur is well pulled off, and we even get a hint of a face with emotion, although I wish it was the kicker and not the kickee.

    #10 - 60 - The Curious Camel - they all fall down
    At first I dismissed this as too much blur and too much motion. But I looked again and it is a pleasing result. There is a chain of events, several seconds that all come together.
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • DalantechDalantech Registered Users Posts: 1,519 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Thanks for the feedback and the votes!

    Note to Doc: Wait until you see how I took it -behind the scenes post coming soon :)
    My SmugMug Gallery

    Looking for tips on macro photography? Check out my Blog: No Cropping Zone.
  • GreensquaredGreensquared Registered Users Posts: 2,115 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Thanks so much for all of the feedback...I know it takes extra work on the judges part and I truly appreciate it!
    Emily
    Psalm 62:5-6

  • sherstonesherstone Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,356 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Awesome feedback!

    Thank you for taking the time! :D
  • sherstonesherstone Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,356 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Dalantech wrote:
    Wait until you see how I took it -behind the scenes post coming soon :)

    I am quite interested in this as well!
  • lynnesitelynnesite Registered Users Posts: 747 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Thanks for the feedback.
  • sunitasunita Registered Users Posts: 210 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    DoctorIt wrote:
    #7 - 52 - sunita - curvilicious
    This is a beautiful photo. The color, the curves, it certainly is delicious. Again, the fluidity of this speaks to me personally. Fluids (smoke included) are never the same as they flow, differing one second to the next.

    Thanks for the vote and the feedback, Erik! Much appreciated!
  • The Curious CamelThe Curious Camel Registered Users Posts: 943 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    DoctorIt wrote:
    #10 - 60 - The Curious Camel - they all fall down
    At first I dismissed this as too much blur and too much motion. But I looked again and it is a pleasing result. There is a chain of events, several seconds that all come together.


    Erik thank you for taking the time and effort to give your comments and critique. It not only helps me but I'm sure others as well. Totally appreciated as I am trying to learn with each round.

    Peace, gail
  • DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited December 28, 2007
    Erik thank you for taking the time and effort to give your comments and critique. It not only helps me but I'm sure others as well. Totally appreciated as I am trying to learn with each round.

    Peace, gail
    you're welcome, gail, and everyone else. I always mean to get around to the feedback, but after coordinating all the other judges together, compiling votes, uploading the winners images to the LPS gallery, captioning, ordering, posting this thread.... well, you get the idea lol3.gif
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


  • The Curious CamelThe Curious Camel Registered Users Posts: 943 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    DoctorIt wrote:
    you're welcome, gail, and everyone else. I always mean to get around to the feedback, but after coordinating all the other judges together, compiling votes, uploading the winners images to the LPS gallery, captioning, ordering, posting this thread.... well, you get the idea lol3.gif

    All those reasons and more is why I appreciate it so much Erik. Thanks.
    Peace, gail:D
  • The Curious CamelThe Curious Camel Registered Users Posts: 943 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Nikolai, thanks.
    Nikolai, Of course thank you for considering me in your top ten picks. Also very much appreciated.

    Peace, gail
  • hawkeye978hawkeye978 Registered Users Posts: 1,218 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Thanks for the feedback. It's always appreciated as I try and improve.
  • GreensquaredGreensquared Registered Users Posts: 2,115 Major grins
    edited December 28, 2007
    Excellent job Erik! Thanks so much to you and all the other judges!
    Emily
    Psalm 62:5-6

  • TPBinKCTPBinKC Registered Users Posts: 194 Major grins
    edited December 29, 2007
    I also want to thank the judges for taking the time to judge and provide feedback.

    Miguel and Doc, thanks for the votes.

    Thad
  • stedonovanstedonovan Registered Users Posts: 3 Beginner grinner
    edited December 29, 2007
    Thanks for all of the feedback!
  • pankajasundipankajasundi Registered Users Posts: 62 Big grins
    edited December 29, 2007
    wow... hats off to the judges
    stedonovan wrote:
    Thanks for all of the feedback!

    For a beginner like me, this process has been so valuable. No longer it is about the technology. It helps, but doesn't really make the story that much better. What is helping me understand, grow and hopefully better my skills is this contest. I am learning so much from all of you guys out there.
    Thanks for the judges for making detailed notes about each picutre.

    /Pankaj
  • trihokietrihokie Registered Users Posts: 78 Big grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    Thanks to all for the feedback and support. I took the theme from a purely sports photography viewpoint. It has been very interesting to see the different interpretations of others. Thanks, Barry

    Hokies Rule!
    www.trihokie.com
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