>DSS #8 (Weathered or Polished) Feedback Thread

[Greensquared]

As soon as the judges have made their top ten selections, their critiques will be added to this thread. The voting poll will be posted at that time also. In the meantime, post your own personal feedback and favorites here.

The challenge theme was: Weathered or Polished
(http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=105073)Your judges were:
__________________________________________________
Karrie McD - Feedback

Entry #2, dlplumer, Dehydrated: I love this photo! It fits the theme perfectly and it is so dramatic and the composition and pp is wonderful. Great job!!

Entry #9, Travis, Splintered: This is a great photo! I feel like I am in a dream when I am looking at it. The leading lines are great…I feel like I am walking right down the pier.

Entry #22 jeffmeyers, Polished Poodle: This photo makes me smile. Great idea -doing it in IR. The white trees with black poodle and the beautiful blue sky really work well for me.

Entry #23, VisualXpressions, Time tu harvest that thar corn: This one just really hit home for me. The family and I went for a walk amongst the corn field just last night. It fits the theme perfectly and the processing you did makes it very dramatic and I love dramatic photos. The composition is great too. You really did a great job with this who would have thought corn could be dramatic J

Entry #24, jeffreaux2, Nearsighted: When I first looked at this photo I said “sweet!” Love it! I feel like I am sitting right there amongst the rust. I wish I could see a little bit through the window -but even still, it is an awesome photo!

Entry #36, thebigsky, Pride and Joy: This photo fits the theme to the tee! I can also feel emotion in this photo…like a sense of pride. Great job with the theme and making a great photo.

Entry #47, cmorganphotography, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: The composition of this photo is great. It is very eye catching and I love the colors of it. Fits the theme perfectly as well. Great job.

Entry #56, NeilL, Lucid Dream: Wow! I don’t really know what to say except I love it! Very thought provoking and emotional! My kind of art!!! Great job.

Entry #63, pyroPrints.com, Bridge to Nowhere: Very cool! I’m a sucker for old abandoned places. You got great composition, sharpness and clarity. I love looking through the water at the remains down there and then looking down the remains of the pier.

Entry #85, Halite, Antique Silver: I just think this shot is really well done. It fits the theme wonderfully and the composition is great. I do not get much emotion from the photo and I usually go for photos that give me some kind of emotion. However, I picked this in my top ten simply because it fits the theme so well and well…it is just a great shot.

__________________________________________________
Greensquared - Feedback

#9 - Travis - Splintered
Lovely vanishing point and use of color at the focal point. Treatment gives it a surreal look. Very nice.

#20 - AaronNelson - Cooling
Nice composition, definitely polished. I keep looking for a smudge or fingerprint in there somewhere!

#23 - VisualXpressions - 'Time tu harvest that thar corn'
Excellent! Awesome texture and color. Totally works for me.

#24 - jeffreaux2 - "Nearsighted"
Another awesome one. Love the angle, comp, crop, light and texture.

#29 - PaulThomasMcKee - Turtle-waxed TT Tail at Twilight
Simple, sleek lines and gorgeous color. Very nice.

#36 - thebigsky - Pride and Joy
I absolutely love this one - pure perfection!

#40 - idiom - Retired...
Really, really nice. I love the unusual comp, the light and the texture here.

#46 - MrsCue - Weather the Storm
This one floored me too. Awesome.

#84 - vandana - "Braving it out"
Awesome leading lines to a vanishing point that pays off. Very dramatic!

#90 - Elaine - 1916
Total kudos for thinking outside of the box and keeping this rolled up. Makes me totally want to know the story behind it.

[KevXman]

Another challenging round.

http://photosbykevin.smugmug.com/photos/377875549_x9tzy-L.jpg

Good luck to everyone!

— Kevin

[WomanWithACamera]

This was a fun and difficult round. At least for me. There are so many great pics in here. Here is my top 10. Great job everyone!

#4 Polished Off
#9 Splintered
#15 Well Worn
#34 Pins Up
#28 Ship Out Of Water
#36 Pride And Joy
#46 Weather The Storm
#63 Bridge To Nowhere
#84 Braving It Out
#92 Forgotten

Well done everyone!! :clap :clap :clap

[tlee]

http://studiotphotos.smugmug.com/photos/377894769_agV7C-L.jpg

[jeffreaux2]

Good luck everyone!

http://jkmann.smugmug.com/photos/377895804_cPckX-L.jpg

[pemmett]

My top ten favs in no particular order. Good luck.

http://emmett-photography.smugmug.com/photos/377852899_4PzKE-XL.jpg

[ic4u]

So many great images to chose from!..I narrowed my top ten down to the following, in no particular order.. Good luck everyone!


http://ic4u.smugmug.com/photos/377922459_qESRW-L.jpg

[divamum]

So many AMAZING shots! I have really enjoyed following this and learned so much...

I'm struggling to narrow it down to 10 (judges, I do not envy you!) but I really enjoyed the following shots (and, btw, my 10 year old daughter has come and peered over my shoulder as I've been looking at the photos and is absolutely glued to the challenge now, too - we're starting 'em young!)

#4 Polished Off
#8 Rusted Blue II
#13 Weathered reflections while polishing a bowl
#15 Well Worn
#21 Old Glory
#29 Turtle waxed TT tail
#34 Pins Up
#36 Pride And Joy
#40 Retired
#44 The House of Last Resort
#46 Weather The Storm
#58 Climbers Trust
#62 Weathered by Time
#80 Teachers Pet
#86 Turbo Shell Polished

Thanks for letting this beginner play along!

[thebigsky]

Wow, I'm thrilled to be included in so many people's top tens, thanks guys :barb

One day I'll work out how you do those fantastic montages, good luck everyone :thumb

Charlie

[Grly]

What a wonderful group of photos! I had a blast participating in this round. Here are my top ten in random order:

http://grly.smugmug.com/photos/377968306_NGs4p-L.jpg

[MrsCue]

Woohoo! I see mine has been chosen a couple of times. Thanks guys.

JFYI - That was actually a lovely sunny day there. I used my flash and settings to create a stormy sky :thumb

[richtersl]

My faves in no particular order:

http://lrichters.smugmug.com/photos/377977614_gCE7A-L.jpg

[richtersl]

pemmet and divamum -- thanks for including my pic in your favorites. :lust

[JAG]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3070/2878903949_c2288ab8b2_b.jpg

Thank you to those who have added me to their favs. There are so many great entries!:clap

[MarkR]

Very honored and humbled to have my pic liked by KevXman, WomanwithaCamera, divamum, Grly ... and anyone else I missed.

Thank you!:lust

[mtmillz]

Fun round and great entries. Thank you to those that have included me in your favs!

Here are mine in no particular order:

http://milesmckeephotography.smugmug.com/photos/378147065_ADP6R-X3.jpg

[VisualXpressions]

I like these 6 best...

http://vxphotography.smugmug.com/photos/378174917_jE9u2-X3.jpg

Winston

[slpollett]

Here are my favorites in no order. I chose a few that several others have chosen, but many different ones. Interesting how my tastes are so different.

Polished...off -- Grly
Rusted Blue II -- tlee
Riverside -- douglas
Pin Ups -- VelvtRide
Countless Yrs of Service -- Quark
Teacher's Pet -- achambers
Precision -- SherwinJames
The Old Boat House -- Sam's Place
Antique Silver -- Halite

There were lots of great shots to choose from. Good luck everyone.

Sherry

[Jwill]

Some great images this round. Thanks Jag for including me in your tops. Here are some of my favourites.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii285/Mrjwill/373415288_RryDT-Lcopy.jpg

[pemmett]

JAG, thanks for the inclusion :lust Good luck.

[knapph]

Thanks to all who have picked one of our pictures.

We enjoyed having a mission to go out and take some shots. We had a very pleasant afternoon walking along the Portland, Maine waterfront looking for shots. We discovered Portland has a lot more weathered than polished. This probably has to do with the weather here and the age of the town. You can see some of our other shots from that afternoon in the end of the Maine section of stonecoast.smugmug.com.


Our picks; not in any order.

7 Finishing Touches
9 Splintered
24 "Nearsighted"
31 Pitch Perfect Performance
34 Pin Ups!
36 Pride and Joy
54 Precision
58 Climbers Trust
74 Liquid Wharf
75 Can I Park Here?

knapph and KisaKat
Knapp and Ella Hudson

[pemmett]

Our picks; not in any order.
31 Pitch Perfect Performance


Knapp, thanks for the inclusion :lust Good luck.

[pyroPrints.com]

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i210/Pyro979/top12.jpg

[Karrie McD]

Hey all I just wanted to say I am sorry about the wait today for the results. I thought I had sent my top 10 in to Emily around 3:30 this afternoon but apparantly that message never got sent. I'm not sure what I did because I thought I had sent it. :dunno

I'm sorry :cry

Results should be out soon now!

[Travis]

Thank you to everyone that included "Splintered" in their selections. :barb This was another unbelievable round and I feel for the judges. Here are 11 that stood out to me. There were several others that I loved but they didn't meet what I interpreted the themes to be. Great job to all! :clap

http://owney.smugmug.com/photos/378322682_xLizX-L.jpg

[idiom]

Man, some fantastic entries to choose from here. I had 15 that i really wanted to put on here, and had to cut a few from my list for minor little photo details. :(

Thanks to everybody who has included my photo in their top ten, it means a lot to me, also thanks to everybody who made suggestions to improve my image, including the PM I got about it, thanks!

Here is my top ten, and I had a hard time limiting it to ten.


http://precise.smugmug.com/photos/378324903_wGoRC-L.jpg

[cmkultradome]

So many great entries, I loved a lot of the differenct interpretations. Hard to narrow down....but my ten favorite below

[IMG]http://gyshwysh.smugmug.com/photos/378341445_y2gQj-L.jpg

Stephanie

[MarkR]

Some unbelievable images this round. Here's what I liked best:

#17 Riverside
#23 Time tu harvest ...
#24 Nearsighted
#34 Pin ups
#40 Retired
#62 Weathered by Time
#75 Can I Park Here? (made me smile.)
#85 Antique Silver.

[dlplumer]

http://dlplumer.smugmug.com/photos/378361364_c7MPy-XL.jpg

[ilbcnu]

Thank you to richtersl, mtmillz and cmkultradome for including me in your favs!! I am truly honored as the talent in these challenges and on this site is amazing :bow

[jeffreaux2]

I appreciate those of you who thought that "Nearsighted" merited a place among your favorites. I must admit that I had trouble narrowing down 10 choices. I could have nearly picked 2 top tens!

Best of luck to everyone! :wink

[VelvtRide]

Thanks to all of those top 10 lists I made! I'm very honored - I thought the image was a bit on the mundane side when I took it. What's funny is that sometimes the simplest pictures make for great images.

My top 10(sorry it's not fancy - very limited computer access this week):

#4 Polished Off!
#8 Rusted Blue II
#9 Splintered
#22 Polished Poodle
#24 Nearsighted
#35 Purple Plums - Picked in their Prime - Poised for a Picture
#54 Precision
#55 Enlightened
#58 Climbers Trust
#90 1916


Great round!! Loved all the photos! :clap

[douglas]

Lots of great photos this round, and what a great turn out, Its nice to see more and more new members joining in as the contest continues!
Thanks to all who added me to there top 10, and good luck to all!!!

Here is my top 10 in no particular order.

http://photos.smugmug.com/photos/378616046_cZ5bX-XL.jpg

[KevXman]

Thank you pemmett, Anita, Linda, Winston, knapph, Travis, Gage, Stephanie, and Dan for including me in your favs. Thank you to the whole gang for pushing me to stretch myself. The improvements are starting to show. Good luck everyone!

— Kevin

[Greensquared]

The judges' feedback for our top tens are now in the first post of this thread. :thumb

[Grly]

Thanks to those that gave me a mention in their top ten! This was an awesome challenge with so many amazing entries. Good luck to the finalists! :clap

[Karrie McD]

http://love-every-moment.smugmug.com/photos/378715424_VuPXs-M.jpg


I truly hope you all forgive me but I can not make the time this week to give a critique to all the entries. (man there are a lot of them!!) There are so many wonderful entries and it was hard to pick 10. I actually had a top 20 :D

Here are the ones that almost got in for me but for one reason or another I went with the other 10 photos.

If you have a question on why I didn't pick yours or really want a critique from me please send me a PM and will answer as soon as I can.


PS. Shatch, I love "Enlightend" It actually is one of my absolute favorites but... call me dizty... I just can't figure out what it has to do with weathered or polished... sorry :scratch

[divamum]

I appreciate those of you who thought that "Nearsighted" merited a place among your favorites. I must admit that I had trouble narrowing down 10 choices. I could have nearly picked 2 top tens!

Best of luck to everyone! :wink

And I realise I didn't include Jeffraux's in my earlier post with my favorites, which I had meant to (which pushes my list to 16... really decisive, huh?!)

I truly can't begin to imagine judging this - I had enough trouble casting my vote, since three of the images which made the finalist list were all "tied for first" in my mind, and at least two of the ones which I *loved* didn't make it at all.

But most importantly - despite competitive spirit, the satisfaction of achievement and, let's face it, prizes!!! - I don't think it actually matters who "wins" because everybody who's been playing or following has won already simply by being privileged to share in the creation of these extraordinary images. I admit it - I'm hooked!

Congrats to all!!

[VisualXpressions]

Emily, Karrie, thanks so much for including my ear of corn in your top 10... and thanks to Linda for the advise! I hardly ever vignette anything...

I did notice that no old buildings or parts of buildings were chosen, so I guess I made the right decision in changing my entry from the window to the corn!

thanks to all who liked my shot!

Winston

[tlee]

Thanks to those who included my image in their "top Ten" ! I really did not expect it to make it on anyone's list--there were so many strong images to choose from. Good luck to those that made it to the voting round.

[The Curious Camel]

Thanks to all that included me on their lists.

congrats to all and ofcourse the top lists.

[idiom]

Thanks to those who included my image in their "top Ten" ! I really did not expect it to make it on anyone's list--there were so many strong images to choose from. Good luck to those that made it to the voting round.

Tlee, you were like 11 on my list. :( I love the color in your photo.

[richtersl]

...and thanks to Linda for the advise! I hardly ever vignette anything...
My pleasure! :thumb Glad it worked out for you.

And thanks to cmkultradome and dlplumer for including me in your favorites. Karrie, thanks for including that outhouse in your top 20. :D

Congrats to all who made the top 10! :clap

[shutterbuglady]

As a newbie to these challenges, I'm thrilled that some of you selected my photo "Old Glory" as one of your top 10 favorites!

Thanks for the boost. :D

[shatch]

PS. Shatch, I love "Enlightend" It actually is one of my absolute favorites but... call me dizty... I just can't figure out what it has to do with weathered or polished... sorry :scratch

First of all...Thank you Karrie McD and Green Squared for your time in judging. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow and wouldn't happen unless good people like you volunteered. Thanks!!!

Next...a big congrats to all the finalists! Good luck on the vote. BTW, I like not being able to see the count tallie! Good decision!


Ok...the story behind "Enlightened". In the original post, the idea was presented to stretch the interpretation and look at it creatively. Also an appeal to be creative in your use of lighting to highlight your interpretation.

So...a synonym for "polished" is "Shiny". One of the meanings of Shiny is to illuminate. To illuminate can mean multiple things such as, "Give off light", but also to expand or stretch an understanding. In addition, polished can also mean refined, or educated. So a combination of all of these interpretations put me within the interpretation (I thought), but also far enough away from the obvious that I felt it would be creative.

I wasn't going to enter this round, until I saw my little girl (7) walking around with a lamp shade on her head. Bells went off and I started throwing together lights. It was fun. Glad I did it.

[Travis]

First of all...Thank you Karrie McD and Green Squared for your time in judging. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow and wouldn't happen unless good people like you volunteered. Thanks!!!

Next...a big congrats to all the finalists! Good luck on the vote. BTW, I like not being able to see the count tallie! Good decision!


Ok...the story behind "Enlightened". In the original post, the idea was presented to stretch the interpretation and look at it creatively. Also an appeal to be creative in your use of lighting to highlight your interpretation.

So...a synonym for "polished" is "Shiny". One of the meanings of Shiny is to illuminate. To illuminate can mean multiple things such as, "Give off light", but also to expand or stretch an understanding. In addition, polished can also mean refined, or educated. So a combination of all of these interpretations put me within the interpretation (I thought), but also far enough away from the obvious that I felt it would be creative.

I wasn't going to enter this round, until I saw my little girl (7) walking around with a lamp shade on her head. Bells went off and I started throwing together lights. It was fun. Glad I did it.

You were assuming that we are that smart! :rofl I loved the image but I admit that I didn't make the connection. I'm still looking forward to seeing behind the scenes.

I recall a few times that I walked around with a lamp shade on my head. Too bad i can't blame it on youth. :wink

[ic4u]

First of all...Thank you Karrie McD and Green Squared for your time in judging. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow and wouldn't happen unless good people like you volunteered. Thanks!!!


Next...a big congrats to all the finalists! Good luck on the vote. BTW, I like not being able to see the count tallie! Good decision!


Ok...the story behind "Enlightened". In the original post, the idea was presented to stretch the interpretation and look at it creatively. Also an appeal to be creative in your use of lighting to highlight your interpretation.

So...a synonym for "polished" is "Shiny". One of the meanings of Shiny is to illuminate. To illuminate can mean multiple things such as, "Give off light", but also to expand or stretch an understanding. In addition, polished can also mean refined, or educated. So a combination of all of these interpretations put me within the interpretation (I thought), but also far enough away from the obvious that I felt it would be creative.

I wasn't going to enter this round, until I saw my little girl (7) walking around with a lamp shade on her head. Bells went off and I started throwing together lights. It was fun. Glad I did it.


I too admit, I wasn't quite sure where the connection was..but I have to say that I always look forward to seeing your entries! They always stand out as being very creative/ entertaining/ unique..struggling to find the right word, but you know what I mean. I wish I had half of your creativeness!

[MrsCue]

Thank you to everyone that included my image in their top ten and to Emily for including me in your top 10.
This has totally made my day! :D

[Elaine]

Thank you to everyone that included my image in their top ten and to Emily for included me in your top 10.
This has totally made my day! :D

I ditto what she said! :D I'm kinda floored and feel oh so lucky!

[cmorganphotography]

Thanks for the top tens pyro and greensquared! Man, these competitions are getting more and more talented and strong. I tried to get away from people photos for contests... :dunno if that is working in my favor... Good luck everyone and this was a tough round. Good luck on the sunsets/rises.:D

[tlee]

Tlee, you were like 11 on my list. :( I love the color in your photo.

Thanks :D.

[Greensquared]

Hi guys,

I really hate this but I'm having a tough week and don't think I'll be able to get to full feedback for Round #8. I can probably be talked into it if you really want me to and don't mind waiting a while, or if any of you want to PM me and request specific feedback, that's fine too.

Emily

[agilepawz]

I just wanted to say thanks to those that chose "Got milk?" for their top 10 list. I continue to be amazed at how much can be learned by visiting these boards.

My computer got hijacked by malware, and had to be whiped clean, but I thought I'd send a belated thanks, and a huge congrats to the finalists.

Michele

[NeilL]

I'm travelling, so not many chances to go online just now.

Thanks to Karrie McD for choosing Lucid Dream for voting, and for your enthusiastic comments, Karrie. And thanks to the people who voted for it. It was a big encouragement!

Appreciation to Greensquared for your work, and to all at DGrin/Smugmug.

Neil