Tim Burton
by jblaylockrayner

Comment:
If that is a grab shot that has to be one of the best grab shots of a celeb that is relevant to them I have ever seen. Grab shot mind you.

I mean...What a great eye.......

Is it still raining?
by abhinaba

Comment:
I probably end up sounding like a broken record because I think I said this to most of the people I voted "4" too.

A photo has to entertain and/or communicate. And in large challenges like what we have at DP Challenge you don't have a lot of time to do that. Photos that don't grab my attention automatically get a 5 ..at the most a 6 if the technicals are just astonishing.

Your photo just wasn't strong enough to stand out in the crowd to me. That put you around a 5. Then, your silhouette (the technical challenge part) felt a bit missed.

If you could have had the drop more pronounced on the hand or the contrast could have been better then I think you would have seen a rise in your average a point or two.

When you don't make it clear that your intention was a dark photo though strong contrasting elements and subject matter then it feels as though the photo was simply underexposed through lack of technique.

Anyway, thats my meager 2 cents. I hope it helps you some :-)

my pal
by lynnmarie

Comment:
In explaining my rating of 5 I go back to my argument that a photo strength comes from it's ability to communicate and entertain.

Most of the time I may vote lower because the photo just does not interst me. Even in technically well made photos.

Yours goes the other way. You made a good choice on your subject matter and it caught my attention. The trouble when I started to look at the photo was the black on the left, almost felt as if you were shooting past a doorway or something and caught the door or curtain in the photo. This ruined my ability to get into the photo, made it feel like a snapshot. If you would have been able to correct that part of the photo I could see me giving this photo a 7 easily.

Ranchero Laredo
by Emilio

Comment:
I say this a lot when commenting on photos but it is the truth. Photography works best when it communicates and entertains. That is an individual decision on each person that views a photograph.

Your photo just didn't have anything that made me interested in it. So, then all I am left with is the technical part.

Technically the photo doesn't quite make a strong silhouette. It looks like an underexposed shot versus a silhouette. The backlit sun caused your camera to expose for the sky but still left moderate detail in your silhouette photo which then led me to believe it was simply not exposed corectly.

But the bottom line is, technical problems can be overcome if the photo appeals to the viewer.

Water Feature
by fotodude

Comment:
My number one reason for scoring any photo is interest..does that photo communicate and entertain me enough to make me want to look at it some more.

A good feature of the photo was the backlighting of the fish bowl. I would have given it a 5 or 6 if I didn't sense some color fringing issues around the fish. These may be minor and not noticeable to most but in a shot that doesn't grab my attention I probably nit-pick on small technical stuff. Goes back to personal interest.

I was in the minority but maybe my comments will give you a look at the minority view :-)

Descent
by option

Comment:
I will refer back to my number one reason to rate a photo highly...interest. Photos are there to communicate and entertain first and foremost.

Beyond some cloud formations of some interest there really isn't anything there that draws me in to look for more. The only technical nit pick is that it doesn't feel so much like a silhouette as it does an underexposed shot of the bottom of a helicopter.

But..that is just one persons opinion. I hope it gave you some insight to my score.

Shimmering Silhouette
by owen

Comment:
I had this rated a 5. A bit on the lower side of the scale.

I think the thing that attracts me to a photo is ..do I want to see more? Sometimes a good photo gives up everything it has on first glance. A good first glance but nothing more interesting.

I like the color and the play of the reflection on the water but I still came away feeling like it was a well colored snapshot....it just didnt' draw me in. Its a sihouette of a swan on the water with some nice color. But there is nothing more for me to be interested in.

Technically I cannot fault you.

Obviously lots of others felt different so overall people thought well of this photo!

Pensive
by Shy Clicker

Comment:
I had this rated pretty well and it seems along with 80 others. Nice outline and communicates an emotion very well.

Sunset in (birds of) Paradise
by naplesmusc

Comment:
Ok...my rationale for my "4" vote.

The first thing a photo has to do is capture my imagination. That means an element (hopefully the subject) has something that makes me stop and want to see more. This photo doesn't have that for me.

So, then I am left with the technical. The sky is good, has nice color but the subject is not really well rendered. Yes it is a silhouette but that's it. And you have some focus problems that are probably attributed to depth of field.

I mean..take some of the color out of the sky and what have you got? At DPC sometimes a pretty colored sky will buy you a lot of votes even if nothing else is very interesting about the photo. I am assuming it is a sky but for all I can see it could be a computer monitor.

Also remember, I am but one person and his opinion. Hope this helps some.

Message edited by author 2006-09-06 12:07:36.

Cirque du Soleil
by whiteroom

Comment:
I knew who's photo this was from the beginning!

Who else shoots square crops in Africa?

Clearly the best photo this week. Lucky you to have seen this and captured it so well!