Originally posted by jimmyb2701- 30 - Salvador, Brazil
Wish I could enter this - I have some great shots of waterfalls from Thailand 🙁. Have to console myself with voting for other people's great shots.
1- No.19/Staring At The Sun
2- No.13/Mile High Club
3- No.26/Sunset2
4- No.41/Sri Lanka 3
5- No.32/Fisherman's Friend
6- No.2/Coppermine Sunset
7- No.23/Sunset at Driftwood Provincial Park
8- No.9/Lake Champlain
2- 20 - Sunset over Swkto
3 - 1 - Going into Hiding
4 - 6 - florence3
5 - 18 - calmness
6 - 25 - sunset1
7 - 2 - Coppermine Sunset
8 - 32 - Fisherman's Friend
Some great, great pictures here people, well done!
Joe
Since I have photos in the contest it’s tough for me to be completely objective - what I’ve done is provide a short review of each of the photos and then put my ratings in the next post. Since I’m not allowed to vote for my own photos, it’ll probably be obvious which ones are mine, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure that out anyway....🙂 This evaluation is strictly my opinion, and is certainly subject to disagreement.
In general, my opinion of sunset/sunrise photos is that it’s very tough to not have lots of shadow in the photo. If you expose for the sky, your foreground tends to be black, and if you expose for the foreground, your sky will be washed out and colorless (which makes taking sunrise/sunset photos with an automatic camera pretty much a crap shoot – they like to try for a middle ground which ends up washing out the sky and blacking out the foreground, the worst of both worlds). The most successful sunrise/sunset photos (in my opinion) are those that expose for the sky, to get the beautiful sky colors, and have a foreground that is effective in silhouette format. That’s a generality I know, and there are certainly lots of effective sunrise/sunset photos that don’t follow it, but I think it’s true far more often than not. (One other thing that I have to say – if you want to take sunset/sunrise photos, ditch the automatic camera, and get a tripod!)
I have rated the photos using the following scale:
0 – Huh? What? Are you serious?
1 – Nice snapshot.
2 – Nice photo.
3 – That’s worth a second look.
4 – I like it!
5 – Make room on the wall!
All that having been said, here goes….
1. Going into Hiding – 4 – I really like this photo. It’s not quite up there at the top because the colors are not all they could be. This is probably a function of the film used, and the exposure length (I would have probably used a longer exposure).
2. Coppermine Sunset – 2 – Nothing person, but I’m not big on surrealistic stuff. Other folks have different tastes, I know, this just isn’t mine.
3. DSCF0726 – 1 – Just not much interesting going on here. Not a lot of color in the sky and nothing of interest in the foreground – I took a bunch of sunset photos like this in my early photography days.
4. DSCF0737 – 1 – Ditto of the previous photo.
5. DSCF0992 – 2 – Crop the finger, the tent, and the campfire out of the photo, and it begins to be more interesting. I’d also try cropping out a little of the boring sky.
6. florence3 – 2 – Attractive foreground, boring sky. In this case, you’ve exposed for the foreground (for obvious reason), and the sky is lost.
7. Something’s brewing – 3 – This is close to being a really nice photo, but it’s not quite there. I wonder what it would have been like about 10 minutes later after the sun had dipped below the horizon. There is definitely some drama with the brooding clouds, but the sky above them is washed out and boring. I’d play with cropping it some and see what comes up.
8. Kaikoura Sunrise – 2 – There’s just not enough color variation in the sky - my eye keeps being drawn to the wire and the bird, which are not exactly what you want the viewer’s eye pulled to in a sunrise photo.
9. Lake Champlain – 4 – I really like the colors in this photo, and the more I look at it, the more I like it. Still, the boats just don’t quite feel right – not quite sure how to put it into words. It’s a very nice photo.
10. Lake Champlain summer2 – 2 – I like the composition with the mountains and the sandbar (?) crossing the photo, but the colors are too flat. Like photo #1, I’d have tried a longer exposure and maybe a different film. I’d also be curious to see what the photo would have been like after the sun dropped below the horizon.
11. Lake Champlain summer3 – 2 – Ditto previous photo.
12. Opotiki Sunset – 3 – Decent colors, but not much going on in the photo. Doesn’t really catch my attention and hold it.
13. Mile High Club – 3 – Dramatic photo! I really like it. Unfortunately, it has too much plane. I wonder if you could crop it effectively.
14. Rise and Shyne – 4 – Very nice photo. I think if you cropped it at the top and bottom, it would be more effective.
15. Picture(107) – 1 – Nice rainbow, but not a terribly effective photo.
16. Picture(117) – 0 – Sorry….
17. Picture(143) – 0 – Ditto previous photo.
18. Calmness – 4 – Great photo! Nice composition and nice colors. I was back and forth between a 4 and a 5 on this one. I finally came down on the side of a 4 only because I wouldn’t hang it on my wall. It’s just not quite there in terms of the drama and interest that I’m looking for – maybe it’s too calm. None the less, it’s an excellent photo, and I’m sure there are lots of folks out there who would buy it.
19. Staring at the Sun – 3 – I like this photo. Good composition - the foreground has lots of interest, but unfortunately the sky doesn’t. Take Dylan back up there on a day when there are some clouds in the sky, and the sun is going to paint them purple and red.
20. Sun Set Over Swkto – 3 – A nice sunset photo. Unfortunately, I’m not big on obviously altered photos (I’m not opposed to a little darkroom/computer enhancement, but I prefer moderation). I wonder what the photo looked like without the fake reflection – you could also try the reflection actually mirrored, rather than rotated.
21. Sunrise in my backyard – 3 – Wonderful colors. Alas, that’s all this photo has. If only….
22. Sunrise1 – 1 – I think this is a case of “really, it was a beautiful sunset – you should’ve been there.” I don’t know how many times that’s happened to me. Point and shoot cameras just do a crappy job of sunsets; what can I say?
23. Sunset at Driftwood Provincial Park – 2 – Nice composition, but the colors are washed out. The heads bobbing in the water don’t do a lot for me either.
24. Sunset on the Upper Ottawa river – 3 – This was almost a 4. Nice composition – I like the tree silhouettes, and the distant shoreline. If only the colors had been nicer – try a different film, and a longer exposure.
25. sunset1 – 1 – Not thrilled with the composition, and the colors don’t have a lot going on either.
26. sunset2 – 3 – The first time I went through the pictures, I yawned at this one and moved on. The second time through I looked a little longer. The third time, I lingered. What can I say, it definitely grew on me. Nice composition, interesting sky. If only the colors were more interesting, this would have been at least a 4. (Maybe the fourth time I go through the photos it will be…🙂
27. Surat Bay Sea Lions – 1 – I can’t make out the “big guy stretching.” I can take your word for it that it’s a sea lion – I just can’t see it. Colors are flat, and the composition doesn’t do much for me.
28. untitled – 3 – I was back and forth on this one. I like the composition, and I would really like the photo, except for the way the sunlight reflection interferes with the girl in the photo. Very close to being a really nice photo.
29. Peaceful Borders – 3 – Nice colors, decent composition. This photo would benefit from some cropping – get rid of the bottom quarter of the picture, it doesn’t add anything. I’d also look at cropping off the top, but I’m not sure, since you lose the fork in the tree, and I’m not sure how it’ll look without that. Give it a try and see….
30. Salvador, Brazil – 3 – This was another 3/4 borderline photo for me. The longer I look at it, the more I like it. I would consider cropping it – particularly the top and the bottom, but maybe some of the sides as well – and see if you can improve on it. The boat and people silhouettes are interesting, and give your eye something to travel over.
31. DuskSet – 3 – So close, and yet not quite! Interesting colors, very nice composition. If only the foreground was a little more prominent. I would have waited another 20 minutes for the sun to drop below the horizon, and then gone for a long exposure, or maybe even a little fill flash – you’d have to experiment here.
32. Fisherman’s friend – 5 – If I wasn’t so egotistical that I only want to put my own photos on my walls, I’d ask you for a print. What more can I say?
33. kirksunset – 3 – Sorry. This picture would have to follow the one before it. It’s just not fair to you. Interesting sky, although the colors aren’t quite there. The foreground is not the greatest – too busy and yet too dark all at once – and the wires just draw your eye in spite of yourself. I’ve had a few photos ruined by wires – it’s a real pain in the butt.
34. Blue Sunset – 5 – Depending on your mood, this is either a really great photo, or a nice photo. I love the colors, and the reflections and silhouettes are interesting.
35. Blue Ridge Sunrise – 4 – Nice composition, nice colors. If only the sky had had a few more clouds to add some interest.
36. Golden Gate Sunset – 5 – Nice composition, nice colors, nice sky, nice foreground. Interesting take on a often-photographed subject.
37. sunset – 2 – This photo doesn’t do a lot for me. I’m not inclined to “artsy” photos, which I think this is, but I know a lot of folks are. I’m sure there are other folks who will think much more highly of this than me – it’s a taste thing, I guess.
38. sunset2 – 2 – Ditto the last photo….
39. Sri Lanka – 2 – Composition has some interest, but the colors just aren’t there for me.
40. Sri Lanka 2 – 2 – Interesting sky, but not much color, and not much foreground of interest.
41. Sri Lanka 3 – 3 (sometimes a 4) – This is another one that I was back and forth on. It’s a very interesting photo – I really like the composition. What bugs me is the colors are almost. I keep wanting them to be richer and they keep teasing me without quite satisfying. I think the photo is just a little underexposed – I think think that would make the difference. Nice photo!
Woosh! Had to edit that down slightly to get it all to fit. Here are the rankings:
1 – 32. Fisherman’s friend
2 – 18. Calmness
3 – 9. Lake Champlain
4 – 1. Going into Hiding
5 – 14. Rise and Shyne
6 – 41. Sri Lanka 3
7 – 30. Salvador, Brazil
8 – 24. Sunset on the Upper Ottawa river
(just a reminder to those of you who are voting - don't forget that there are 5 photos that are not on Rag's website that are part of this "competition"😉
Originally posted by dweezilI agree that things like adjusting contrast and levels, removing dust and scratches etc. are a valid enhancement to a photo (as long as you don't overdo it), and it's really not much different from what the photo shop does with your negatives, the main difference being that you have full control if you do it yourself. Give the same negative to two different photo shops (or even the same shop at different times), and you'll get back two different pictures. It might not be so noticeable when taking "everyday pictures", but if you do night photography, the results can be *extremely* different. And if you are unlucky, you'll get back your night sky without stars, because the stars were seen as dust... So if you scan a print and don't do anything to it, it's not any more "real" than a slightly enhanced digital picture or negative/slide scan. But if you add something which wasn't in the original picture or use effects which distort the picture in some way, that's quite different. I don't mean to say you shouldn't do that, but I think you can't really compare such pictures with pictures which haven't been worked on in this way. Of course there will always be a grey area.
One thing that digital photography has given us is the ability for the average person to have a "darkroom" in their home. No longer is it just the creative person, with the money to spend on the "newest" darkroom technology that is able to bring us high quality images. The hobby is becoming more affordable for the masses by the day.
That said, when I ...[text shortened]... ne at the moment, with minor enhancements, not the scene as modified on a rainy weekend.
I could go on and on... We have had quite a few discussions about this in the aurora forums and mailing lists I belong to.
Originally posted by The PlumberSome good critique there, very constructive.
Since I have photos in the contest it’s tough for me to be completely objective - what I’ve done is provide a short review of each of the photos and then put my ratings in the next post. Since I’m not allowed to vote for my own photos, it’ll probably be obvious which ones are mine, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure that out anyway....🙂 This eval ...[text shortened]... photo is just a little underexposed – I think think that would make the difference. Nice photo!
You obviously know more about photography and composition than me (not difficult!).
And you were quite kind about my pic! 🙂 (Although you didn't vote for it...)
1st (10) # 25 sunset1 - i love the simplicity of this picture the silouettes work wonderfully well against the clear sky
2nd (8) # 7 Something's Brewing - This is an interesting picture that you don't see too often, if at all
3rd (6) # 32 - Fisherman's friend - Liked this picture, lots going on in it other than just the sun
4th (5) # 9 Lake Champlain - caught the sun just right here, great starburst from the sun
5th (4) # 10 - Lake Champlain summer2 - like the natural colours here not too much redness which i feel can sometimes spoil the image, there is something wierd going on with the reflection of the sun on the bottom right of the picture, like its been squared of on the right edge (might just be me though)
6th (3) # 23 - Sunset at Driftwood Provincial Park - The water looks like a lake of liquid metal
7th (2) # 3 - DSCF0736 - Like the clouds in this one
8th (1) # 19 - Staring at the sun
so is the next catergory moving water?
dont want to sound like a nag, but how about a new thread for each catergory??
Originally posted by shavixmirSplish Splash shots at the swimming pool Vs Waterfalls in Thailand. sounds like a hard one to judge. The old macro drips are bound to feature from the pros.....
Moving bloody water?
I live in Holland!!!
Jeez...
Perhaps there should be no comments or titles with the next round. Perhaps we should leave the critique until after voting too... a few have done there level best to strategically put people off photos that have been getting votes.
Ppl should vote for what they like