DPC has warped my mind! - DPChallenge Forums

Olympus 50mm f/1.8 MF Normal Zuiko

03/26/2003 05:28:17 AM · #1

I'm taking a digital photography class, and while doing my homework I was kind of "spacing out" while working on a photo in Photoshop - I kind of freaked out for a second when it struck me that: 1. the photo had been taken last week, and 2. I had just done an illegal edit to the photo! After my heart stopped pounding, and I reminded myself that this was a homework photo, I had to laugh to realize that the DPC challenges kind of "simmer" in my subconcious so that I am always looking for possibilities for the challenges.

Does anyone else occasionally find that they are "locked into" the DPC mentality?? Is there life outside of DPC?? (Just kidding!)

emorgan49

Olympus E-5

03/26/2003 05:35:21 AM · #2

I walked into a public rest room recently with blueish flourescent lights and my fisrt thought was " Awk! Adjust the white balance!"

joshua

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/26/2003 05:36:21 AM · #3

yeah the same happens to me. really really don't know much outside of what is allowed in photoshop anyway though. is the class you're taking worthwhile? i was thinking about taking one

Annida

Olympus C-4000Z

03/26/2003 05:41:31 AM · #4

I went to a movie recently, and through the whole opening scene I was thinking: too dark, blurry, lack of DOF, shaky camera!, GAH! what am I doing! AAAAARGH!
-da

lbWhaples

Olympus C-4000Z

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

03/26/2003 05:45:44 AM · #5

In my quest to call myself a "photographer", I have made it a practice to make sure my camera is readily available to me wherever I go. Especially now that I'm on a dpMission.

You know that commercial for toosie rolls? "Whatever it is I think I see becomes a tootsie roll to me!" Well, this week, whatever it is I think I see becomes SYMMETRY to me. I even picked up an old rusty circular car part thingy out of the parking lot JUST because it was symmetrical. I have it right here on my desk.

What can I say, I'm dpHooked :-)

Message edited by author 2003-03-26 10:47:37.

03/26/2003 05:53:43 AM · #6

Originally posted by achiral:

yeah the same happens to me. really really don't know much outside of what is allowed in photoshop anyway though. is the class you're taking worthwhile? i was thinking about taking one

It's a class at a community college (it is taught by a photographer), and is really aimed at beginners. And I mean people who have never really used a camera much - the majority had to buy a digital camera just for the class. If I had known that it was at this level, I probably wouldn't have taken it, but I have actually learned a few things, (learned A LOT of Photoshop). All things considered, it has been interesting, and, to some degree, worthwhile. If I were to do it over, I would probably try a more advanced class, but I really feel that "learning", at any level, is always beneficial, so I certainly don't consider the time spent in the class a waste.

03/26/2003 05:55:24 AM · #7

Originally posted by lbWhaples:

Haha! Can't wait to tell my husband that it is really "dpMissions"
that we are on; we're not just driving around aimlessly!

jenarom

Sony DSC-F717

03/26/2003 06:10:44 AM · #8

I'm also taking a photography class, and the first thing I realized is how different (at least on my class) critiques are made than here on DPC.

Our teacher requests us to minimize or eliminate all comments about the technical aspects of the picture. Instead he tries to teach us a way of apreciating the photograph as it is being presented. For example, if the picture is blurry, then accept it as the way the photographer intended it to be.

Try to apreciate art as to what do you feel when you look at it. What messages does the picture send to you? What things does the picture tells you about the photographer?

He says that to focus on technical aspects is trying to convince the photographer to take a picture the way YOU intend it to be. Now that would be YOUR picture, and not the photographer's.

Another interesting thing (and that would be impossible during voting) is that when you look at several pictures of the same photographer at once, and that is several pictures together on the same board or table, you can perceive the photographer's personality as you start to see relationships, patterns or things in common in all of his/her pictures. I don't know if I'm explaining myself, but for example, for someone it can be that in all of his/her pictures you can see lines, or perspectives, or triangles, or vertical/horizontal oriented, etc. Someone may like busy pictures, others syntetized subjects.

And those things can tell you a little bit more about the photographer's personality.

Now that for me was amazing to realize, and be told things about myself from just looking at my pictures.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

03/26/2003 06:31:04 AM · #9

Jenarom, our class is very similar in the critique area. We talk about the technical aspects, but the focus is on appreciating the photo. The teacher doesn't want us to look at a photo as a "technical object". He wants us to learn to look at photos from a more artistic viewpoint, and hopefully through the eyes of the photographer. It has been really nice to get critiques that DON'T just automatically say, bad DOF, didn't follow rule of thirds, etc. I love having critiques from the standpoint of "what you see is exactly what I intend for you to see". We still get critiques that say that they just don't care for the photo, or they don't care for the subject, or the treatment of the photo, but overall the critiques are very instructive and helpful from a more artistic point of view, which is definitely how I think about most photos.

e301

03/26/2003 06:31:45 AM · #10

jenarom - you make some great points, particularly about the critiqueof photos.

What we're doing here though, is not a photo appreciation site, but a rolling competition - being asked to rate other's work according to our own lights. Thus, if you enter the challenges in an attempt to win, what one is doing is trying to take photos like a composition of all of this site's favourite photographers. If one enters what one believes is the photo you've taken that week that best meets the challenge, then really you are using this site as a way to present your work to an audience - pretty much a guaranteed audience of 200 or so, plus those who don't vote.

I've found it quite difficult not to look at my shots with 'dpc eyes', that is, as potential high-scoring shots, rather than with my own eyes informed by what I've learned (usually through the examination of other's shots) and seen here: as 'Ed's photographs'.

The one time I tried to be clever and enter specifically to do well, was the worst result I've had (in the little time I've been around here). I think that was an object lesson though.

Ed

Sonifo

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

03/26/2003 06:43:40 AM · #11

Originally posted by lbWhaples:

. I even picked up an old rusty circular car part thingy out of the parking lot JUST because it was symmetrical. I have it right here on my desk.
What can I say, I'm dpHooked :-)

hahahahaha...I have done this many times. lol

KarenB

Canon EOS-70D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

03/26/2003 02:37:37 PM · #12

Originally posted by lhall:

... and 2. I had just done an illegal edit to the photo! After my heart stopped pounding, and I reminded myself that this was a homework photo, ...Does anyone else occasionally find that they are "locked into" the DPC mentality?? Is there life outside of DPC?? (Just kidding!)

Yup! LOL .. I find myself feeling sneaky, then I say.. hey! wait a minute. It is okay! :0)

It is also true that I am aware of many images on film (TV/movies), etc.

Yikes! ;0)

dsidwell

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

03/26/2003 06:35:55 PM · #13

Tonight I was at the theatre and there was this huge chandelier in the lobby with lots of interesting glass cylinders hanging down and I noticed that there was a symmetrical pattern to them that was very interesting. So I laid down on the ground and looked up. My wife, now used to this and knowing what was going on, just shook her head. Luckily, the lobby did not have too many people walking around. But the ones that were there were curious....

kiwiness

Canon Canon 1d x Mark II

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

03/26/2003 09:36:41 PM · #14

Originally posted by KarenB:

Originally posted by lhall:
... and 2. I had just done an illegal edit to the photo! After my heart stopped pounding, and I reminded myself that this was a homework photo, ...Does anyone else occasionally find that they are "locked into" the DPC mentality?? Is there life outside of DPC?? (Just kidding!)

Yup! LOL .. I find myself feeling sneaky, then I say.. hey! wait a minute. It is okay! :0)

It is also true that I am aware of many images on film (TV/movies), etc.

Yikes! ;0)

I've only lately been really seeing movies for more than they are Karen. It is surprising how much the composition of movies and photography have in common. I never realised how much the rule of thirds is used in movies, you hardly ever see an actor standing in the middle of the screen.

bod

03/26/2003 10:12:32 PM · #15

Originally posted by kiwiness:

I watched Jaws for the millionth time at christmas, and it was like seeing an entirely new film! I've always liked it, but I think now I can appreciate why it is such a classic.

Linda, an extremely funny post to start this thread : ) but wait until the dpNightmares start :-/

rjgardner

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

03/26/2003 11:04:45 PM · #16

Going back to what the early posters said, I often find myself trying to mentally clone/heal others peoples blemishes on their faces, often while their talking to me! Probably making them feel very self concious while glaring at the wart on the side of their face.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

03/27/2003 02:52:18 AM · #17

Originally posted by bod:

... but wait until the dpNightmares start :-/

LOL!! Too late!! My husband says I "dpc talk" in my sleep!!

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

03/27/2003 04:02:14 AM · #18

Originally posted by kiwiness:

I've only lately been really seeing movies for more than they are...It is surprising how much the composition of movies and photography have in common. I never realised how much the rule of thirds is used in movies, you hardly ever see an actor standing in the middle of the screen.

Now you know why the cinematographers get their own Oscar category...

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

03/27/2003 04:07:05 AM · #19

Not only am I always looking for photo subjects in the DPC context, I find myself often applying DPC-inspired techniques...for example, I shoot quite a few subjects "From The Ground Up" based on one of the early challenges...I also sometimes re-work/re-shoot a photo based on comments and suggestions I get...