fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by MudHut:
A hard shot to attempt for your first challenge, well done for giving it a go, hope to see more of your work soon :)

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by _eug:
Let us see here. I notice two things off the bat. The amount of noise and that the image is not focused very well. Both of these happpen in low light situations like the one you are shooting in. Notice how the black background has a red tint to it? You can fix this in RAW conversion.

Don't be discouraged. ;)

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by rennie:
Hello Rosen :)

Your photo is a very good start. My first entry was baaaaaad.


It was even under 4. It thought me some respect, and forced to try harder next time. Now, I'm happy if I can make one step forward with every challenge. At least by 1 point.

Message edited by author 2007-01-25 11:16:47.

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by De Sousa:
Hi Rossen,

Congrats for your 1rst photo at DPC and the decision to submit it to a Challenge. You are not alone. My first entry was a 4.xxx too.

There is a long way before you can break a 6 score. You just need to keep working, submiting photos to challenges, listen to the comments and You'll get there! Any way, your photo is a good start and I'm sure you can do better.

Way to go, Congrats!

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by bennettjamie:
Grayo,

This is a nice start to getting your mind thinking. I am doing horrible in my photo challenges right now, lower than your score was in the match contest. It's ok, to lose sometimes, because thats how we learn what we are doing wrong. I think you have great potential in photography. Just keep it up, and never get discouraged. If you love it, then why does someone else's oppinoin matter?

Keep up the good work.

Jamie

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by charmayne:
Nice smoke effect on this, I did not enter this challenge but I did try a few shots for practice and you caught a much better whisp of smoke than I did! Great start!! Look forward to seeing your future entries!!

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by JH:
Good shot for your first entry, you were up against some tough competition in this challenge. You have a nice idea here, and it shows that you have a good eye. The only thing letting you down are the technicals.

The most important thing to learn about in photography is lighting. Cameras love lots of light! Once you start to understand lighting you'll see everything else improving as well (focus, sharpness, colours)

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by dassilem:
You are 11?? Your first score is better then my average...don't even waste your time looking at my profile! :-( its not worth it.

I really like that you had a strong concept...and now from getting feedback you will improve each time!!

good luck!

edit:...pssstt...did you notice that even though your Mom just got a yellow ribbon, YOUR first photo has a higher score than HER first photo???

Message edited by author 2007-01-25 10:09:10.

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by CNovack:
Rossen you should not get discouraged at all. Every good photographer has to start somewhere and the one thing all photographers, from beginners to professionals, find challenging is lighting. You chose a challenging subject with a low lighting conditions. In all my years of shooting photography I have never tried to tackle shooting an extingushed match. So you are challenging yourself and learning new things - which is absolutely good! Don't get discouraged as this is your first attempt. DON'T give up or put the camera away! I repeat, DON'T give up or put the camera away! The more you take pictures, try new things, and look to get a better picture you will very definately see your skills grow. And btw, at my age, I am still learning new things and trying new things with my photography - not all of them work out but I try & learn from them. Now, let's look at your picture. First off your composition is good but there is room for improvement. Get closer to your subject if you can either through camera zoom or closer cropping. If you bring us closer to the subject you want your viewer to see, you capture our attention more. The next thing is to get sharper focus on your main subject - the match. In low lighting conditions you will need to prop your camera on something steady not to mention your subject also needs to be rock steady otherwise you get a soft focus or blur. One last thing I want to add is that I like the red tones here because the color makes me think of heat & fire. Even though the flame is out we are left with the lasting impression that it is still present in the photo. Good job in making us 'see' something that has disappeared.

Message edited by author 2007-01-25 09:16:26.

fire is dead
by grayo

Comment by candlerain:
Cool smoke effect... I like the reddish tint to it. Would look even better with a bigger candle or more of them... Maybe. :-) Congrats on this nice shot and I will keep watching you... You will get a hold of a ribbon... I can smell it! ;-)