>>>LPS#14 Feedback Thread

[Shay Stephens]

The following feedback is from jdryan3:

My criteria? I just kept running the phrase "craggy/smooth" over and over in my head as I went thru them, making selections. I wrote some #s down, that I thought would be ones to HR or go back to. I still ended up with 27 my first pass.

Some I downloaded that fit craggy/smooth didn't make the cut because of 'technical issues': distracting elements, not sharp (out of focus), muddled shadows. Others were too similar to ones I selected. I also had some I thought were great shots/images, but it was a thematic stretch.

All said and done my top 6 came fairly easy, even if I did change their rankings a couple times. The next 2 also made the cut, but moved around. The last 2 were tough. I had 5, then 3 images for 2 slots. I actually liked them as thematically correct, but had some technical concerns. Comments are included.

#1 - 53 - drdane - Inner Truth Revealed
#2 - 32 - pemmett - Layers of Love
#3 - 09 - hamster - Spike
#4 - 40 - alex - Guadalupe Box
#5 - 13 - sherstone - leg liberation
#6 - 28 - The Curious Camel - Solitude
#7 - 57 - Leonardo - periodontosis for toothpaste
#8 - 36 - tlee - Rusted Blue
#9 - 23 - VisualXpressions - well ripened
#10 - 19 - Greensquared - The Ent

Comments/Feedback:

#1 Technically a great shot: sharp, great lighting, reflection is spot on. Thematically has the nice duality of both craggy & smooth, without seeming overly contrived.

#2 Technically very good. It reminds of white butter cream icing, something definitely very smooth!

#3 Thematically very craggy. Nice DOF and framing/composition. Color and saturation are good

#4 Like #1, has a nice sense of duality without being overly contrived. The best execution of several entries. Tonality is good. B+W allowed the contrast to stand out better than some color entries.

#5 Another duality. I know how hard it is to pull this off technically. Edges are very good, not overly sharpened. Use of color is nice

#6 To be honest, I'm not sure why I like this one. I just do. It is smooth, transitions are nice. Again, I liked this one best of several similar entries.

#7 Lighting and shadows are very good on the corn kernels, and the light shining on the toothpaste is good. A unique vision, with a lot of thought. Framing and composition are really nice. Ironically, this one was on my written 'other' list as I went thru the images the first time. But it not only made it into my honorable mentions group, but grabbed a decent spot on the finalists list.

#8 The first of the tough choices. Sharp, nice color, different sense of smooth/craggy. It made the cut, but easily could have been #12.

#9 I was surprised that there weren't more wrinkled hands/faces vs baby butt images, since that was the first thing that went thru my mind when I saw the topic. (Maybe I should have entered!). I liked this one's tonality & contrast, but I didn't rank it higher (and had taken it off at one point) because the ear & collar on the left side seem just a tad over sharpened. The transition is kinda of odd. It works on the face but should have been toned down on the edges.

#10 Great concept and it screams craggy. Brought a smile to my face when I first saw it. Definitely should be in B+W, but a little more work on the shadows of the bark and the transition to the background shadows could take this good image and make it great. Again I went back and forth between this, #9 and several others (#11 - #13).

Thank you jdryan3! More feedback to follow later.

[sherstone]

Thanks so much jdryan3 for taking the time to judge this round.

Your feedback is actually a pleasant surprise since I somehow never really realized the duality of the image and always just considered it smooth.

This is probably my favorite part of this contest in regards to learning how someone views and interprets your work.

Thanks again.

[The Curious Camel]

I appreciate your feedback. I'm glad you liked my entry.

Peace, gail

[Greensquared]

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!

[jdryan3]

Originally Posted by peterst6906

I don't think so, but typically, the only ones mentioned are the ones that scored points from the judges.

However, in the feedback thread, you should eventually (over the next couple of days) find some specific feedback on your photo. This is something that is optional and not all the judges do it, but it is always welcomed by all of us who participate.

Peter

ulrifkt~
Peter is right, and no you aren't stupid. I purposely did not read any of the early posts, or the unofficial feedback until I was done. I even tried to avoid seeing who posted an image as I critiqued, and only cross-referenced my choices back to the list after the fact.

Your image not only made my first cut, but my second. But as I stated in the comments Shay posted above, I got down to 5 for my last 2 slots. It was a good shot but not technically outstanding, met the craggy theme, but didn't jump out at me for that. I felt the 2 I picked for the last 2 slots were closer.

But obviously the other judges agreed with me on only one of those. Which I think is great.

Hope that helps a little.

[jdryan3]

I'm not sure how the actual points are calculated but probably some form of weighted ranking, or an average of that across the 4 judges. The reason I mention this is that while there were 10 'finalists', there were 17 across 4 judges that didn't make the top 10 - an average of 4/judge. Coincidentally (or not) 6 of my 10 made the list, 4 didn't. And of the 4 that made it that weren't in my top 10, 2 were in my 11-15 'honorable mention' list, and 2 didn't even make my first cut.

Maybe I do way too much statistical/trend analysis in my 'other' life , but that seems very well balanced, especially when you look at the points for the top 3 compared to the bottom 4. If you substract 2 points from the top 3, they are still the top 3. If you subtract 2 points from the bottom 4 and add them to the next guys down, you end up with actually 12 finalists with a 4-way tie for 10th.

I realize not making the finalists list is like being the second choice for the one job slot at a company you want to work for. You can say to the boss, tell yourself he/she was a**hole and the company actually sucks and you didn't really want to work there anyway. Or you can say 'thank you', step back and listen to what they really said and find away to prepare for the next opportunity. Your choice ...

[pemmett]

Originally Posted by jdryan3

I realize not making the finalists list is like being the second choice for the one job slot at a company you want to work for. You can say to the boss, tell yourself he/she was a**hole and the company actually sucks and you didn't really want to work there anyway. Or you can say 'thank you', step back and listen to what they really said and find away to prepare for the next opportunity. Your choice ...

Thanks for this last comment. I've done both of the above, but founf that only the latter lets you move forward. The former just makes you walk around in ever declining circles of insanity and bitterness - which apparently isn't that good for your health (or quality of photography).

I think that the feedback from the judges helps a lot in the "healing process". From the photos that I submitted that haven't scored any points I have always felt sad (because I tried my best), but the feedback from the judges helped me relaize why I didn't get points, and that even though I didn't get points my photo was still be quite good (or in one of my cases made them laugh - for good reasons). This feedback has helped me to try harder and (I hope) become a better photographer.

[Shay Stephens]

I hope this isn't entirely too little too late territory, but here goes anyway ;-)

2 - MarkTodd - Breakfast Paradise
If Kelloggs were to make a TelliTubbies cartoon it would look like this! A lot of fun to look at. Well done. Kind of a mix of smooth and craggy-ish, but still works for me.


3 - fashiznitsngrins - Hills of gold
Very silky looking. Watch those edges where they interface with the background, they can break that suspension of disbelief for the viewer.


4 - DaddyO - Baby Eights & the Old Pro
The reflections standing in as eyes is a great touch that puts a life in the balls. I do wonder though at the scene and what it is trying to convey. It has a more sinister feel to it than a bunch of younglings. The unblinking eyes all staring straight at the viewer is the stuff of horror movies ;-)


5 - Cuties02q - Where's The Bacon
The face has potential. Perhaps a closeup of the face from a lower angle would personalize it more and give more opportunity to really showcase the craggy type skin on display here.


6 - Scott Boy - Through the screen door
I am having difficulty seeing the smooth, and the texture of the screen is not craggy enough for me to go in that direction. I feel stuck in the middle.


7 - ccpickre - Peace tree wishes
Lovely texture on that paper. Would love to see it even closer with perhaps a crop that minimizes the upper left.


8 - Tentacion - Eye See You
Very Scifi looking! Cool.


9 - hamster - Spike
If I had a craggy itch before, it was satisfied with this gem of a texture! Love it.


10 - Annie222 - First Blooms
Beautiful, and the spiky pods above don't trigger a craggy response from me, interesting, the overall impression I have is one of smoothness.


11 - thebigsky - Laughter Lines
Fantastic subject. But I have to say the title is working against you here. Laugh lines make me want to see the eyes, and they are not very prominent here. The skin in the rear is great, but it's way back there. The biggest thing here is the horn and some cheek.


12 - SunsetSailor - Beach Litter
What a tangle! Love it.


13 - sherstone - leg liberation
Operation smoothie underway! The overall impression I get is one of smooth, but there seems to be something missing. I don't know if the photo feels too simple or if there is too much unshaved surface or just what it is, but something...I am torn.


14 - Vette74 - Color Profusion
I like the color and texture, but it doesn't reach the top for me. Perhaps it is not craggy enough or smooth enough, but a kind of mixture that does not suggest on way or the other.


15 - Nikolai - Verboten
Cool, and I like the title too!


16 - vandana - "Sail through the skies"
I want to say something about the texture, but the people shadows just make this photo really stand out for me. Super cool!


17 - awa1 - Respect
Great shot. It doesn't speak to me in a smooth or craggy way, probably the shallow DOF mixing my visual signals. Maybe I am just secretly afraid of snakes? hehehe


18 - RBattis - A Kansas Sentry
Lovely texture, nice side lighting to make it pop too.


19 - Greensquared - The Ent
Sweet!


20 - nikos - Like father, like son
Beautiful!


21 - mwgrice - Fence Posts
I do like the wood grain, but it doesn't really trigger my craggy response. Maybe some side lighting on the wood might have drawn it out more.


22 - bfjr - The 1st Cut
The blade is smooth, and the teeth are not, making the first cut would signal my attention on the material being cut or the object doing the cutting. Since I can't see much of the material being cut, that leaves the object doing the cutting. And it looks kind of smooth, sort of. I feel confusion.


23 - VisualXpressions - well ripened
Perfect!


24 - HoofClix - Breaking Glass
Very nice, if not a bit sparse. My brain tells me that is the bottom of a horse, but my non brain parts are saying "no way". But they are usually never right, so I am going with my brain on this one ;-)


25 - Llywellyn - Dream of the Dryad
Very cool!


26 - jwear - Into The Blue
Beautiful!


27 - Strikeslip - Whiteface Mountain
Officially Wow! But I have to add that the person on the ridge totally rocks the casbah!


28 - The Curious Camel - Solitude
I don't care how you did this, but this is awesome!


29 - NanaMo - King of the hill.
Very regal. It works for me, but I am wishing for more craggy.


30 - Nomanizan - Shasta Waits
More pattern for me than texture. The paws confuse me, but it is late, and I startle easily hehehe.


31 - Red Dog - Rear Cross
Good action, though the alignment is a bit odd. How that dog is attached to the shorts is beyond me, but it looks like the person will be able to jump the low barrier, so the dog should be safe. Not feeling the theme myself, but good action!


32 - pemmett - Layers of Love
This could be on a box of moisturizer!


33 - SouthernRoad - Balancing Act
Photo not showing up


34 - BitterBaldGuy - PHOTO INELIGIBLE
Remember no frames and 800 pixels on the long side max. Cool shot otherwise.


35 - nelsonstuff - Good Foundation
It works for me, but might excite me more if it were closer to that rock to get some of that texture is hints at.


36 - tlee - Rusted Blue
I don't know what this is, but it looks fascinating. Beautiful!


37 - DJ-S1 - Plugging the Dyke
Great scene, but at this distance the rocks texture is pretty smooth and only the gaps between rocks are suggesting craggy for me.


38 - Robert - "The Burren"
Very nice, the only thing I think that might have enhanced the craggy feel is to have one of those cracks closer to the center.


39 - snr - Soft
I like the concept, but might suggest a bit of fill to soften the shadow transitions as this would be in keeping with the soft title. The flower is soft, but the lighting is hard.


40 - alex - Guadalupe Box
The water has the attention, but the rocks have the detail. I feel torn between smooth and craggy.


41 - samsplace - With Age Comes....
Beautiful wear on the wood and metal. Might even be able to get closer if the lens allows it.


42 - Havelock - And guess, what's waiting up there...
Mmmm, love the vintage look! Sweet!


43 - MrsCue - As smooth as silk
Photo not showing up


44 - richtersl - The Red Door
Ohh yah!


45 - hawkeye978 - The Beginnings of Fall
Beautiful scene, but too much of a buffet of texture for me, it all starts to taste the same.


46 - stirfry - Batter Up.
Very nice.


47 - pyroPrints.com - Colorful Colorado
I like the smooth coin and surface it is sitting on, but the rockies make me think of craggy too. So I kind of get pulled both direction and wind up going nowhere.


48 - ulrikft - Calling the kettle black ...
Wow, that is too cool. The framing is a bit sloppy looking for me, but that kettle is wicked cool!


49 - imax - Where's Sammy?
I don't know who sammy is, but I like what you did with the lighting, it brings out the texture very nicely The reflection gives me a second view and I don't get a sense of smooth, so I feel as if the subject is still craggy.


50 -Felicia - Pidgeon Toed
Are you sure that is not the foot of a velociraptor? Either way, I like the texture, it looks rough and craggy.


More to follow tomorrow night.

[DaddyO]

Appreciate the feedback Shay. Its never too late. Many thanks for your time.
Michael

[imax]

49 - imax - Where's Sammy?
I don't know who sammy is, but I like what you did with the lighting, it brings out the texture very nicely The reflection gives me a second view and I don't get a sense of smooth, so I feel as if the subject is still craggy.

This is Sammy




Very uncooperative that day. A gel covered SB26 snooted from behind him worked out well for the color in my entry, but he did not want to come out to play.......