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10/05/2012 12:57:06 PM · #1
My Candlelight entry scored quite a bit lower than I hoped and expected - 4.8938 and, more disappointing to me, 27%.
My settings were Aperture priority, F 5.6, ISO 100, 30 sec
Early on I had three ideas for possible contributing factors. albrix made a much appreciated comment saying the foreground apple appears underexposed, and I quite agree that I should have shifted the candles so it was lit more than the others. I don't see well enough to focus well manually and was focusing as well as I could with the lights on and then shutting them off for the shot, but I was not happy with how soft the bowl of fruit was myself; perhaps a higher F stop number would have helped. And maybe a traditional still life is just too boring for the majority of voters.
Finally, on my 2nd voting run through the entries, I realized that there was one other thing that made my image stand out from the others. Even though I used only candlelight (I misread the description and thought this was what we had to do), mine was one of the few that didn't have a visible candle in it - the viewer just had to trust me that I had used candlelight.
I actually like this pretty well and would like it better if I could improve the focus and lighting, so I plan to re-take, just for me. Before I do, I would love to have any additional suggestions that you think might help me improve the result. Please comment here or on the image thread - I'm thick skinned. Thanks in advance.

Message edited by author 2012-10-05 13:01:58.
10/05/2012 02:24:39 PM · #2
Originally posted by nam:

.... I realized that there was one other thing that made my image stand out from the others. Even though I used only candlelight (I misread the description and thought this was what we had to do), mine was one of the few that didn't have a visible candle in it - the viewer just had to trust me that I had used candlelight.
Never assume the voter is intelligent and can decipher things on their own. Even though you followed the challenge description to a tee, the lack of a visible candle definitely hurt your score.
10/05/2012 03:27:38 PM · #3
Originally posted by Venser:

. . . Even though you followed the challenge description to a tee, the lack of a visible candle definitely hurt your score.

Thanks for the confirmation. I feel pretty stupid after the fact but it never occurred to me to put a candle in the set-up. Even now, I think it would have looked silly.
10/05/2012 04:12:46 PM · #4
Originally posted by nam:

Originally posted by Venser:

. . . Even though you followed the challenge description to a tee, the lack of a visible candle definitely hurt your score.

Thanks for the confirmation. I feel pretty stupid after the fact but it never occurred to me to put a candle in the set-up. Even now, I think it would have looked silly.

I think two candles in nice holders flanking the fruit would look fine, and I agree that the lack of an obvious candle probably hurt your score substantially ... to put a positive spin on it, if you don't win a ribbon, your final score is mostly irrelevant, especially compared with what you've learned from the experience.

As a still-life, I would have tried to light it a little more evenly -- right now there's a pretty large gradient from near-glare on the left to almost lost in shadow in the right foredground.

I didn't follow the "hit the voter over the head" rule with my entry either, and finished a little lower than you did, though actually higher than I expected.
10/05/2012 04:14:50 PM · #5
Originally posted by GeneralE:

As a still-life, I would have tried to light it a little more evenly -- right now there's a pretty large gradient from near-glare on the left to almost lost in shadow in the right foredground.

Sorry, meant to write this also. A second candle on the right, further away just to get rid of the harsh shadows would have helped.
10/05/2012 06:59:20 PM · #6
Thanks so much, venser, generalE, and in the thread on image giantmike and lilysmom. These thoughts are all very useful.
10/05/2012 08:27:13 PM · #7
It seems to me that many folks read the challenge as candle as opposed to candle light. Including a candle in the frame would have appeased those folks. Just because they are wrong does not mean you shouldn't give them what they want if you can do it without cannibalizing your idea.
The big knock on this image for me was that the focus wasn't where the light drew the eye. A longer lens or a higher f/stop might have gotten everything in perfect focus. I also have a private suspicion that DPC doesn't like fruit still lives. Wendy seems to get away with her pears, but fruit scores much worse than flowers. I have no idea why.
10/05/2012 08:39:40 PM · #8
Wendy seems to get away with her pears

She does its all about knowing your pears :)
10/05/2012 08:44:36 PM · #9
Originally posted by Aperture_Ready:



She does its all about knowing your pears :)


I'll bet they are grown by her squirrels.
10/05/2012 08:46:47 PM · #10
I've left a comment with the image, but I've just got to say here that I saw no need for a candle to be in frame.
10/05/2012 08:53:34 PM · #11
Originally posted by BrennanOB:

Originally posted by Aperture_Ready:



She does its all about knowing your pears :)


I'll bet they are grown by her squirrels.


I'll bet they are grown by her squirrels.

I could understand why they,d go nuts over them then :)
10/05/2012 09:21:24 PM · #12
I'm having trouble with anyone whose lowest score is still above 4.5 complaining about a low score. nam, you do beautiful work. You still pulled a 4.89 with what you consider to be a bad image. What works for me in your image is the wonderful polished wood, reflecting the fruit and the bowl without losing its grain, the seamless transition to the background, the nicely blending colors and textures. Apples to pears - a bit of humor there, I think. The biggest meh for me is the lack of focus on the fruit in the bowl, combined with the sharp focus on a foreground object that doesn't stand out (lighting, as others have said). This combination gives a mental classification as "missed focus", which without an obvious reason to be soft focus makes it look like an outtake entered by mistake.
10/05/2012 09:38:55 PM · #13
hahaha! Somehow when I saw squirrels, I had a sneaking (or sinking?) feeling that my name was in there somewhere. :)

Brennan hit it spot on, imo. The light draws you to the out of focus fruit, which isn't the interesting part of the photo. And when you look around for something more interesting, the apple ends up looking extremely understated. Plus, it's not even on the same plane as the bowl, so it doesn't really feel like it's part of the same photograph -- different lighting, different plane, different feel completely.

I think it would have done far better without the basket of fruit in the background. The lighting on the apple is nicely dramatic, the reflection on the table is sleek, but all of that is almost lost in the rest of the photo.

I don't think the low score was because of the absence of the candle. Usually DNMCs are a lot more heavy in the 1s, 2s, and 3s. I think it's more that the photo didn't make a strong impression as is.

Message edited by author 2012-10-05 21:41:54.
10/06/2012 09:29:21 PM · #14
Thanks again for the wonderful comments and suggestions here and on the image. I really appreciate it and look forward to a re-shoot.
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