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DPChallenge Forums >> Challenge Results >> Struggling to score above a 6 lately
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05/03/2013 04:00:08 AM · #1
I don't know what it could be really...I just checked and since the start of 2013 I have entered 15 challenges.
Out of those 15 only one entry just barely made it to a score above 6, a few made it to around 5.7 and the majority
just barely managed to get above a 5.3 with one entry even scoring 4.8
Either my photography has sunk to abysmal depths and I have entirely lost my touch or the voters have become
much harsher and more difficult to please. Maybe it's a combination of both.
That 6 has now become quite an elusive and magical score for me to try and achieve.
Anyone else have a similar story and experience to tell?

Message edited by author 2013-05-03 04:02:10.
05/03/2013 04:53:44 AM · #2
Not sure what the cause is but I definitely think this wonderful creation was was very underrated!



My current 3 entries are all sitting at low 5's and to be honest I think it is my fault as I am not entirely happy with any of the entries and shouldn't have entered them really but better to enter something than nothing. Also often the photos I think are going to do well do terribly and vice versa.

I am sure you will get plenty more 6's and 7's soon.
05/03/2013 05:07:03 AM · #3
Thanks Paul. Yes I often enter as well with an entry that I don't really like but because I haven't got anything better or more exciting I enter it just for the sake of entering something. It's pretty bland countryside around where I live and I have photographed just about everything around here worthwhile taking a photo of so I am often in a quandary trying to get a decent subject for a challenge entry. I sometimes envy those DPC members who live in areas where there seems to be an abundance of the most spectacular scenes and things to photograph. That last thought of yours I can identify with as well. Also often the photos I think are going to do well do terribly and vice versa.
But we will keep on trying....it's a lot of fun anyway irrespective of the scores :)
05/03/2013 05:36:38 AM · #4
Funny you should say that about having bland countryside. I live in a rural location too and get so excited when I go away for the weekend to the city or other locations as there seems to be so many more interesting photo opportunites. I suspect someone from the city coming to my location would have the same experience and find amazing things to photograph in the countryside. I walk the dogs for an hour every morning and apart from sheep and cows I rarely get the camera out of the bag as nothing seems that interesting to photograph unless it has been snowing or there is some mist in the air.

Yes totally agree it is great fun and I am sure my photography is slowly improving thanks to entering all the challenges. I think I need to improve my processing skills as I am sure I could have really improved some of my photos with better processing skills i.e more than just a Topaz Adjust preset:)
05/03/2013 07:49:34 AM · #5
i think over-processioning is falling out of favor lately.
05/03/2013 08:01:10 AM · #6
I've had a lot of 5s recently. But I blame it on TPL. (not that people are voting things down -- I just psych myself out and do more poorly. :)
05/03/2013 08:52:30 AM · #7
I have to continually remind myself that good photography is only mediocre here. I won the grand prize in a city sponsored competition and that same shot later went on to pull a middling score here on DPC. I've been paid for using a photo on a bookcover that only perfromed in the low 5's here. I still get high compliments on it once in a while when someone happens across it (or the subject uses it as his profile pic on FB).

People here tend to look at things with a very critical eye. You must totally blow the majority out of the water with your shot just to get a collective opinion of "Yeah, I guess it's ok".

Some people prefer subjects or have a natural style with DPC mass appeal. I occasionally have to go look over the recent entries of highly regarded members like Bear_Music or bspurgeon to remind myself that even talented photographers often fail to please the collective consciousness.

I also think that trying to impress other photographers who are invested in the same competition is an uphill fight.

I've found a niche for myself of late, and it gives me a reason to shoot other than simply trying to impress other photographers. Perhaps that niche that enthuses you is what you haven't found yet.
05/03/2013 09:17:44 AM · #8
Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

I have to continually remind myself that good photography is only mediocre here. I won the grand prize in a city sponsored competition and that same shot later went on to pull a middling score here on DPC. I've been paid for using a photo on a bookcover that only perfromed in the low 5's here. I still get high compliments on it once in a while when someone happens across it (or the subject uses it as his profile pic on FB).

People here tend to look at things with a very critical eye. You must totally blow the majority out of the water with your shot just to get a collective opinion of "Yeah, I guess it's ok".

Some people prefer subjects or have a natural style with DPC mass appeal. I occasionally have to go look over the recent entries of highly regarded members like Bear_Music or bspurgeon to remind myself that even talented photographers often fail to please the collective consciousness.

I also think that trying to impress other photographers who are invested in the same competition is an uphill fight.

I've found a niche for myself of late, and it gives me a reason to shoot other than simply trying to impress other photographers. Perhaps that niche that enthuses you is what you haven't found yet.


Your last sentence "I've found a niche for myself of late, and it gives me a reason to shoot other than simply trying to impress other photographers. Perhaps that niche that enthuses you is what you haven't found yet. "

Very valid observation. That could be it yes...hmmmmmm ...now how does one identify and pinpoint it?
05/03/2013 09:21:19 AM · #9
I understand completely, Fred! I am very frustrated as well. I see so many people say "you just have to do this.. or that.. and the scores will come." Ha! Yet there are a ton of folks who do well all the time. I do the worst when I try the hardest, actually. I have no niche, either.
05/03/2013 09:44:50 AM · #10
Originally posted by theFREDfactor:

That could be it yes...hmmmmmm ...now how does one identify and pinpoint it?

For me it was easy. I merged the photography with the other thing that enthuses me, cycling. As another example, I know we have some other members who are amateur chefs and they enjoy taking mouth watering photos of their culinary creations.

What else interests you?


05/03/2013 09:59:46 AM · #11
tastes have changes on DPC in the last year. I find entries that I could easily predict to get a 6+ now struggle to keep a high 5. In my case I use DPC more as a creative outlet now than using it to judge how good an image is. Like Steve said, images that struggle to keep a mid to high 5 here do really well other places. I still find DPC a great place to push myself I just try not to stress about the scores, of course when you are in TPL it's hard not to.
05/03/2013 11:12:01 AM · #12
My average vote received is 5.6 -- when you consider how many really high scores I've had, that gives you an idea how many of my entries fall way below that line. It's not unusual for me to score in the low 5's 7-10 challenges in a row. I don't let it bother me. I grump a little, more or less half-heartedly, and then move on.

I know it gets annoying to hear people say "it's not about the score, for me" ("Yeah, that's easy for HIM to say, look how many ribbons HE has!") but you got to remember those 28 ribbons are spread out over nearly 1000 challenges... I'm being perfectly sincere when I say for me it's all about participation, not score. I'm happy when I do well, of course, but the voters giveth and the voters taketh way, and I've cultivated the zen of going with the flow :-)

I just feel weird when there aren't a couple thumbnails of mine in that left-hand column every time I look :-) The scores take care of themselves if I remain true to MY self.
05/03/2013 11:25:30 AM · #13
I have found that during this league the scores are much lower (for me as well as my teammates) overall. If you look over the past few months of scoring you will see a pattern...it's been dropping (scores). I think I've entered a solid entry and I'm doing good to get a low 5 to mid 5...where by a year ago (or more) it would have been a low 6 to mid 6 score. Scoring has changed. And I just can't seem to get in the "groove" per say. Frustrating yet challenging....therefore the whole concept behind the challenges.
05/04/2013 08:56:17 AM · #14
Scores have definitely fallen as have comments over the past year. You don't have to look at your own scores although this is what flagged my interest in examining this phenomenon, just look at the collective average of the Top 10 images in each challenge and work backwards 24 months...even Free Studies. Ribboners, even those that are wow/dpc candy/ etc are doing so with 5-6 and winning with 6-7. Yes the Expert challenge winners are getting 7+ as before but 2nd and 3rd in the same challenge are often 0.5 below or less.
05/04/2013 10:12:29 AM · #15
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

My average vote received is 5.6 -- when you consider how many really high scores I've had, that gives you an idea how many of my entries fall way below that line. It's not unusual for me to score in the low 5's 7-10 challenges in a row. I don't let it bother me. I grump a little, more or less half-heartedly, and then move on.

I know it gets annoying to hear people say "it's not about the score, for me" ("Yeah, that's easy for HIM to say, look how many ribbons HE has!") but you got to remember those 28 ribbons are spread out over nearly 1000 challenges... I'm being perfectly sincere when I say for me it's all about participation, not score. I'm happy when I do well, of course, but the voters giveth and the voters taketh way, and I've cultivated the zen of going with the flow :-)

I just feel weird when there aren't a couple thumbnails of mine in that left-hand column every time I look :-) The scores take care of themselves if I remain true to MY self.


In fact, I just did a bit of quick math, and arrived at the conclusion that you and I ribbon at nearly the same frequency. :)
05/04/2013 11:43:08 AM · #16
@ theFREDfactor and P-A-U-L...Hmm guys, just cause you have what you think is *bland* countryside, doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of good subjects around. Any old tumbledown barns? Cows are very inquisitive and may well wander up to the fenceline to see what the crazy human with a black box is doing.

Change your POV...instead of just shooting from the omnipresent regular standing-human POV, get down on the ground. Shoot subjects at their eye level, not yours. Shoot from up high too.

Also, I haven't looked at your glass, but try switching things up. I have an 18-200mm telezoom lens that has been used to shoot everything from food to outdoor macros, portraits, wildlife, action/sports...that thing won't quit. I've shot portraits with the 300mm *wildlife* lens. Shot wildlife and landscapes with the 50mm *portrait* lens. Shot all kinds of weird stuff with Siggy, my wide-angle lens. It's not just for landscapes!!

Also if you don't have a tripod yet, consider getting one. It gives you stability and you can do all kinds of cool stuff like long exposures with one. Remotes are pretty cheap to come by too.

Hope this helps somewhat.
05/04/2013 12:16:36 PM · #17
I just lower my standards so as not to be aggravated when it doesn't score as well as I think it should :)
05/04/2013 12:20:26 PM · #18
Originally posted by Cory:

In fact, I just did a bit of quick math, and arrived at the conclusion that you and I ribbon at nearly the same frequency. :)

Absolutely! People seem to think of me as a "heavy hitter" but it's just volume :-) Throw enough spaghetti at the wall, and some of it is bound to stick...
05/04/2013 12:41:35 PM · #19
In all seriousness though I understand the frustration of not scoring well when you feel your image should, especially when you fall in love with it. But you know what who cares if it scores low as long as the image you took met your vision, its a success! I find it hard at times to convey my vision or my style to a challenge, but that's the beauty of this site, because it has challenged me to take shots of subjects, locations, perspectives and angles that I would have never thought of doing before but I did it for the entries.

I guess what Im trying to say is let the challenges break out your creative juices and force you to take the best picture YOU can take with the equipment you have available and do it in your own vision. We are all artists in our own right and the only person at the end of the challenge that has to like it is you. So just go forward and improve on your photography, having fun and learning, and screw what your scores look like!

I mean hell my highest rated image own my profile page isnt even a real composition :) so maybe I dont have a clue about this stuff we call photography but you know what, I have one hell of fun time doing it :)
05/04/2013 12:50:55 PM · #20
I don't take the scores very seriously (anymore) at DPC. I had to make a choice a while back as to whether to gun for ribbons and scores here at 800 pixels, or produce for my market. Sure, I shoehorn in a lot. And, I'm not patient with "silly" challenge topics. But, that's just me. I enjoy rewarding the great images of others with top scores. I try to offer suggestions for improvement to those with potential.

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age."
Sophia Loren
05/04/2013 01:36:04 PM · #21
let's get rid of the uncertainties, by statistically pointing out the culprits:

Total entries divided by total ribbons multiply with your average score.

The lower the score, the better your chance to ribbon off your average. Called "ringers" in golfing parlance... hehe

Bear: 970/28*5.6730= 196.528
Cory:154/4*5.58= 214.83
Gayban:173/68*6.8= 17.3
Herfotoman:247/1*5.1402= 1269.62

Burn them at the stake, I say.

05/04/2013 02:50:30 PM · #22
I have decided to put off that struggle until next year.
05/04/2013 03:47:34 PM · #23
Originally posted by herfotoman:

Total entries divided by total ribbons multiply with your average score.

Hmmm ....

1155/1 * 4.6908 = 5417.874

Of course, until recently it would have been N/0 = "not allowed" so I guess it could be worse ... :-)
05/04/2013 06:21:30 PM · #24
Thanks Snaffles. Good advice. I do practice those things you mention though and I have 3 great lenses and a nice tripod which I do use.
And I never tire of sheep and cows...plenty of them around here :)
Have a look at my portfolio and you'll see quite a few of them in there


Message edited by author 2013-05-04 20:48:40.
05/04/2013 09:19:00 PM · #25
Originally posted by herfotoman:

let's get rid of the uncertainties, by statistically pointing out the culprits:

Total entries divided by total ribbons multiply with your average score.

The lower the score, the better your chance to ribbon off your average. Called "ringers" in golfing parlance... hehe

Bear: 970/28*5.6730= 196.528
Cory:154/4*5.58= 214.83
Gayban:173/68*6.8= 17.3
Herfotoman:247/1*5.1402= 1269.62

Burn them at the stake, I say.


But gyaban has 85 ribbons not 68...
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