[UdubBadger]

Both good points.

[dcstep]

Too bad there's not a way to indicate our favorite, our second favorite, etc., like with the Heisman. Then the voting would be weighted toward the most first place votes, but others would also receive votes.

I'm always torn between voting for only my favorite or spreading three or so votes to the top images. I understand both points of view.

Dave

[BMWjames]

1 vote for TL

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by UdubBadger

It's also amazing how many people come in here and only vote for 1 photo when clearly there are more than just 1 "good" photo posted (not to take anything away from Rodi who is in the lead... it's just funny how many solo votes people receive). I think people who vote are too scared to vote for someone else who might win. The format is designed to be like this:

3 photos: A, B, C

we have someone vote for A and C but not B
we have someone vote for B and C but not A
we have someone vote for A B and C

Even though A and B are very good, C is the most commonly voted for thus it should win. It's kinda like Heisman voting, sometimes (though I believe its been a long time) the guy with the overwhelming # of 2nd place votes can win if the 1st place votes are spread out between a few other nominees.

I dunno, I always think there are at least 2-3 photos in every contest that could potentially be winners but I don't see how people can just look at all of them and ONLY like 1

This is the first voting thread where I have to disagree with this (I usually vote for multiple pics; whatever looks like it has a chance of winning).

In this case, I think Paley Park is the clear winner.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

In this case, I think Paley Park is the clear winner.

I totally agree with this, but... the answer is different. The "public" has spoken.

Dave

[UdubBadger]

Originally Posted by Nikkahtropolis

This is the first voting thread where I have to disagree with this (I usually vote for multiple pics; whatever looks like it has a chance of winning).

In this case, I think Paley Park is the clear winner.

explain why you thought so... I'm intrigued

[TL]

Can someone school me on my pic? I would welcome someone to critique my photo, please. thanks

these were my settings:
1/200 s
f/3.5
iso 100

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by TL

Can someone school me on my pic? I would welcome someone to critique my photo, please. thanks

these were my settings:
1/200 s
f/3.5
iso 100

TL, you should probably start a separate thread, asking for advice in the Subject line. You'll get more responses that way.

The image is "nice", but lacks power because your perspective is "ordinary". It's like you saw the scene from the car, rolled down the window and snapped. All that snow in the foreground subtracts power from the image. If you have a wide angle lens you could have walked up close to the trees, not taking in the whole scene, but concentrating on a tree with the light showing through.

Another approach would have been to use a telephoto to concentrate on the snow/ice covered tree limbs catching the light, just for example.

Your technicals are ok, but there's high dynamic range here. You could have taken three images of the same thing with -2, +2 and 0EV, then combine them into an HDR, or used a graduated neutral density filter to darken the sky while bringing up the exposure of the snow in the foreground. A GND filter is a standard accessory for landscape photography. The correct exposure for the sky is two f-stops lower than the snow in the shadows.

Those are just a few ideas. In its own thread, you'll get many more ideas.

Dave

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by UdubBadger

explain why you thought so... I'm intrigued

You didn't ask me, but I think that signes image is amazing for its ambiguity. At first glance it looks abstract, but on close examination it's actually realistic. The composition is strong and nicely balanced. Once you know that the background is water, you think, "Oh, ok" but initially you're trying to see what's happening.

I'd be tempted to work with it by lightening the trees and highlighting those colored leaves in the upper right, but that might take away from its power as are realistic-abstract. Maybe B&W would be the most powerful, but it might be as is.

Dave

[UdubBadger]

Originally Posted by dcstep

You didn't ask me, but I think that signes image is amazing for its ambiguity. At first glance it looks abstract, but on close examination it's actually realistic. The composition is strong and nicely balanced. Once you know that the background is water, you think, "Oh, ok" but initially you're trying to see what's happening.

I'd be tempted to work with it by lightening the trees and highlighting those colored leaves in the upper right, but that might take away from its power as are realistic-abstract. Maybe B&W would be the most powerful, but it might be as is.

Dave

no thats cool, thanks for the write up. I couldn't tell it was water at 1st either.

[BMW F22]

The poll shows a very different result than what I was expecting. I thought oneintheory was gonna run away with this one. Rodi's picture, while GREAT, doesn't really match the theme. It merely has snow as the background. The main subject is the person (which is not a phase of water), not the snow. Signes' picture is great as well but again it doesn't really focus on the phases of water (though it had it in there). The last picture with the cat is the same as it focus on the cat. However, since it was such a limited theme, I suppose every picture counts. Besides Vudoo was fine with them.

PS- please don't feel like I'm attacking anyone. I simply feel (as a fellow photographer) that these kind of contests should be more about the artistic values (while fitting in with the theme) instead of the coolness of the photos. If it was a winter portrait RODI would run away with it and if it was an abstract theme SIGNES would have done the same.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

The poll shows a very different result than what I was expecting. I thought oneintheory was gonna run away with this one. Rodi's picture, while GREAT, doesn't really match the theme. It merely has snow as the background. The main subject is the person (which is not a phase of water), not the snow. Signes' picture is great as well but again it doesn't really focus on the phases of water (though it had it in there). The last picture with the cat is the same as it focus on the cat. However, since it was such a limited theme, I suppose every picture counts. Besides Vudoo was fine with them.

PS- please don't feel like I'm attacking anyone. I simply feel (as a fellow photographer) that these kind of contests should be more about the artistic values (while fitting in with the theme) instead of the coolness of the photos. If it was a winter portrait RODI would run away with it and if it was an abstract theme SIGNES would have done the same.

Signes' entry has just as many water phases as oneintheory's. If this were a contest where the image with the most phases won, then I'd be the hands down winner, since I had the most phases (cloud, water, ice, snow).

Fortunately, as you say, artistic merit also counts. The contest theme is only that, a theme. I think that we still need to consider artistic merit.

Dave

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by dcstep

Signes' entry has just as many water phases as oneintheory's. If this were a contest where the image with the most phases won, then I'd be the hands down winner, since I had the most phases (cloud, water, ice, snow).

Fortunately, as you say, artistic merit also counts. The contest theme is only that, a theme. I think that we still need to consider artistic merit.

Dave

Right- I did mention that there's water phases in Signes' picture. However, IMO, oneintheory's picture fits the theme the best. If you look at his picture, knowing what the theme is, you would know right away what it was about. I look at it and I feel cold. A good picture should do that. Signes' pix, however, doesn't give away what it is about. I know some people like the abstract stuff but the theme isn't abstract.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Right- I did mention that there's water phases in Signes' picture. However, IMO, oneintheory's picture fits the theme the best. If you look at his picture, knowing what the theme is, you would know right away what it was about. I look at it and I feel cold. A good picture should do that. Signes' pix, however, doesn't give away what it is about. I know some people like the abstract stuff but the theme isn't abstract.

I think this is why we vote. I don't agree with you and you don't agree with me, but a vote settled to neither of our liking.

I like Rodi's image, but didn't vote for it because I thought of it as a great portrait of some dude when huge snow flakes happened to be falling.

Dave

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by dcstep

I like Rodi's image, but didn't vote for it because I thought of it as a great portrait of some dude when huge snow flakes happened to be falling.

Dave

Exactly- at least we agree on something.

[rodi]

i have an idea for a very specific theme for the next one, so there shouldn't be any "does this fit the theme" questions. ;]

and i agree, as i said in my posting of the photo, that my entry merely held the theme in a non-specific sense.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by UdubBadger

explain why you thought so... I'm intrigued

I prefer its range of colors, the way it brings my eye across the picture, the way I found it intriguing even when I didn't know what I was actually looking at, and it's a pretty cool way to fit in with the theme by having accents of snow in the foreground with cascading water in the back.

[dcstep]

Originally Posted by rodi

i have an idea for a very specific theme for the next one, so there shouldn't be any "does this fit the theme" questions. ;]
.

That'll be refreshing. I'm looking forward to your contest.

Dave

[TL]

Originally Posted by dcstep

TL, you should probably start a separate thread, asking for advice in the Subject line. You'll get more responses that way.

The image is "nice", but lacks power because your perspective is "ordinary". It's like you saw the scene from the car, rolled down the window and snapped. All that snow in the foreground subtracts power from the image. If you have a wide angle lens you could have walked up close to the trees, not taking in the whole scene, but concentrating on a tree with the light showing through.

Another approach would have been to use a telephoto to concentrate on the snow/ice covered tree limbs catching the light, just for example.

Your technicals are ok, but there's high dynamic range here. You could have taken three images of the same thing with -2, +2 and 0EV, then combine them into an HDR, or used a graduated neutral density filter to darken the sky while bringing up the exposure of the snow in the foreground. A GND filter is a standard accessory for landscape photography. The correct exposure for the sky is two f-stops lower than the snow in the shadows.

Those are just a few ideas. In its own thread, you'll get many more ideas.

Dave

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to respond

[Vudoo4u2]

imo...all the submissions met the criteria

I left it rather ambiguous

[rodi]

filming a music video all week, i'll try to post the new contest tonight if i don't pass out first. or freeze.

[BMW F22]

I'm curious as to what the next theme is now...hurry!! lol