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The Band
The Band
NikonJeb


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Distracting Elements II (Extended Editing)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Nikon D810
Lens: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR
Date: Oct 15, 2016
Aperture: 4.0
ISO: 280
Shutter: 1/50
Date Uploaded: Oct 18, 2016

N/A

Statistics
Place: 42 out of 49
Avg (all users): 5.0508
Avg (commenters): 5.0000
Avg (participants): 5.1724
Avg (non-participants): 4.9333
Views since voting: 422
Views during voting: 139
Votes: 59
Comments: 9
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
11/07/2016 05:46:18 PM
I recall thinking you were suggesting the band as a whole is a distraction. I didn't agree.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/05/2016 12:46:13 PM
Having recently tried my hand at shooting a 4-piece rockability band in a similarly tight, small environment, I completely get the challenge of creating a well-composed photo without the distraction of clutter from audio equipment, etc. Frankly, I think this is an appropriate entry for the challenge. It's full of distracting elements, yet it works well in highlighting the four musicians in the context of their venue. Actually, these kind of performances are most successful when the musicians create sounds that transcend the visual environment, when the music overwhelms all the other senses.

So... in a perfect visual world this image wouldn't have: a table intruding on the right, a microphone bumping into the forehead of the seated acoustic player, a music stand hiding the bongo player's right hand, a mic boom with green wire cutting her torso in two, the backgound bass(?) player's hands and instrrument covered by the singer, a disembodied head about the bassist and singer, a dark picture frame as the background to the singer's profile, a bright reflection on the floor that draws the eye away from the subject(s), a high contrast paned door wth a parking lot through it, distracting elements on the left border (red chair, table, water bottles, boom stand base, etc.).

And... despite all the distraction, this photo provides a sense of place and a sense of purpose - to make engaging music that makes anything visual completely irrelevant. I like it. I want to hear it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/03/2016 08:55:55 PM
I gave this a 5 which is very average on my scale. I guess I was looking for a photo that I thought otherwise very good except for one (or maybe two) things. I hate to use the term "snapshot" here at DPC but that's what this felt like - just a kind of grab shot of the moment. I definitely didn't like the mike and noticed it but the other huge thing that bothered me was having the singer on top of the standing guitarist. Plus all the other junk in the image, especially on the edges where you could have gotten rid of it easily with a crop.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/03/2016 05:25:04 PM
If i had to pick a distracting element i would have picked the picture of a head above the singers. I liked the blue light on the floor. But, i didnt really care how well it met the challenge description so i didnt look for a distraction - I trust you know how you got us here. I gave it a 6 because it was well photographed and i liked the strong contrast and arrangement of colors. I didn't give it a higher score because there isn't anything in particular that makes it interesting. If i were trying to imagine how to make it better i would imagine a person moving out of the scene with just an arm or hand still dangling in the shot, maybe a dog moving through fast enough to be blurry, anything genuine, spontaneous, odd, and/or never to be seen again. Maybe a special/strange look between the musicians or maybe a more wooden robotic look on all the faces-something/anything of interest.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/03/2016 03:50:12 PM
I like the photo and I know I would have enjoyed hearing what they were playing. Looks like a great day and perfect venue... relaxed and pleasant fare. For me, there was no real distraction because this scene is just what I enjoy looking at so it didn't quite meet the challenge.
Cropping out the door on the left would bring more attention to the group but I like to know about the surroundings so if it were mine, I would not have thought about it. Now mentioned, maybe, but I still think I prefer it as is. Candids are never perfect... that's part of the beauty.
All these things are just my opinion though... gave it a 6.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/03/2016 10:37:03 AM
During voting I wanted to say something but could not formulate it. I gave a 6.
At first glance when voting I am not hung up by the topic but by the image in front of me.
I stopped at this one because it had an even light and detail on its right that the eyes do not perceive it as such. The eyes see it differently than the photoshop processing, right?

And then it's the second though: what would I do with this picture? This is my major concern looking at a photograph.
Used in a context of a story (a photo essay for instance) it might make sense. But as a free standing picture it does not inform me much.
And then there is the left side of the image, all sharpened, inky, uninteresting for the story. When cropped one third from the left it looks better.

Am I too harsh? Hope not. I just dissect an image the way I do it mentally when I vote.
Meeting the challenge too literally makes me cringe - in a banana challenge I do not want to see a banana only even if it's perfectly photographed for a stock imagery.
Straying from the topic is not right either.
I want more of a novel approach to the subject in question.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/03/2016 10:06:03 AM
I also had a very hard time finding any distraction at all. My eye went right to all four band members who are just doing what they are supposed to be doing. I suppose if you looked hard, you could pick out several small things but they don't seem to affect the overall message of the image, to me. But I scored it a 6 for all the interesting things in it. Thank you for your nice comment on my distraction entry, BTW!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/03/2016 09:09:38 AM
Hi Jeb! This is one of the most confusing challenges ever, to vote on at least. I couldn't find the distracting element in most of the entries. I don't see the Distracting Element in this composition. My best guess is the whatever-it-is on the right edge of the frame, but since it didn't distract my attention from the band it didn't feel like a distracting element. The composition is full of elements competing for my attention, but none of them feel like distracting elements. Maybe it was the light on the floor--to me a strong but not distracting element.

So...what was the distracting element?

BTW I like what you did in PP. Very clear light. Nice detail. Your work is getting a painterly feel to it that is quite nice & doesn't compromise the photographic nature of the shot.

Message edited by author 2016-11-03 09:12:49.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/30/2016 10:36:29 PM
we surely do like us some music. as does the bard.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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