Still Life (confused) - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

05/17/2006 11:19:11 AM · #52

Originally posted by stdavidson:

Why is it there are unending nitpicking discussions about what does and does not not meet a challenge but few on how to take a good photograph for one?

Excellent point. I personally spent hours setting up/shooting for this one. Most of it was learning (especially about light) and I had a lot of fun. More than half my time was spent on an idea that didn't work out and I totally scrapped. I learned a valuable lesson on reflection, but had I known that beforehand, I would have spent more time on a different idea instead of using my backup plan.

It sure seems like we discuss these challenge interpretations a lot more after voting starts than beforehand.

ragamuffingirl

Sony Alpha NEX-5N

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

05/17/2006 11:28:20 AM · #53

I can't find the post by the person saying they didn't understand why theirs wasn't doing better. I've commented the following on three entries so far, "Good composition, good light, ugly subject." Personally, I gave all three an eight because, if they were nothing else, they were original. Somebody else might have looked at it and though, "Man that's ugly!" and voted it much lower.

I sat this challenge out (didn't do lens cap either) because I didn't have time to compose the picture that was in my head, and I didn't want to submit something that was "Same ol', same ol'" There's some very pretty dried flowers on my desk, and we all know when I get bored I take pictures of things on my desk, but I didn't want to do that....
Actually, I can't find a couple of the components of the picture in my head. They're in storage. :(

Message edited by author 2006-05-17 11:30:44.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

05/17/2006 11:33:03 AM · #54

Originally posted by nomad469:

Originally posted by queanbeez:
most of them are very dark.

"traditional" still life sometimes is fairly "dark" ... not always though

That's an interesting observation and worth expanding on: the main reason we think old paintings are "dark" is because that's how they AGE; the old varnishes darken after centuries of exposure to the elements. IN fact, most Old Master paintings are MUCH more polychromatic than one would have suspected when they are cleaned and restored, much brighter and clearer...

R.

scarbrd

Leica M10

Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux M Aspherical MF - Black

05/17/2006 11:38:03 AM · #55

I am trying very hard to do 2 things:

1. Vote on every image in every challenge.
2. Raise my average vote given.

Some of the entries in Still Life are making things very difficult.

There seems to be a lot of people in this challenge and in the Environmental Portrait challenge that just do not know what these terms mean. Then there are those that know what a still life is, but the entry is very weak.

When these types of challenges are offered, maybe DPC could have a "Workshop" area of the site that focuses on the current challenge. That would give people a place to go to get some idea of what is expected for a given category. Not all challenges would require a workshop, but challenges like Still Life, Environmental Portrait, Studio Portrait, Macro, etc. would be great candidates for a workshop. When the challenge is announced they could link the description to the workshop area.

Just a thought.

KaDi

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

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

05/17/2006 11:43:10 AM · #56

Originally posted by scarbrd:

When these types of challenges are offered, maybe DPC could have a "Workshop" area of the site that focuses on the current challenge. That would give people a place to go to get some idea of what is expected for a given category. Not all challenges would require a workshop, but challenges like Still Life, Environmental Portrait, Studio Portrait, Macro, etc. would be great candidates for a workshop. When the challenge is announced they could link the description to the workshop area.

Just a thought.

And a good thought...but that's what threads like Pre-challenge Still-life discusstion tend to be for....whether anyone of the 30 respondants and 800+ views choose to use it as a workshop is another question.

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

05/17/2006 11:47:01 AM · #57

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Another common motif in classic still lifes is the "rustic" still life, often including gutted small game animals draped across the table or hanging on the wall, and rudely-fashioned utensils and plates, goblets etc.

More modern still lifes are often much simpler and blur the boundaries as far as the classical definition goes. So it's really pretty wide open.

R.

I entered this into the 'Sayings' challenge:

And something more 'modern' into 'Still Life'. Neither did as well as I would have hoped - particularly the current challenge which is bombing big time!

ragamuffingirl

Sony Alpha NEX-5N

05/17/2006 11:53:56 AM · #58

Originally posted by scarbrd:

I tend to vote high because 1) I want to balance out the trolls, 2) IMHO very few of the entries are bad photographs. They might not meet the challenge. They might not be to my tastes, but they're not bad. I also like to give points for someone trying to be creative, even if they failed. 3) Karma.

I thought "workshop" was part of what this forum was for? Someone did have a thread asking what constituted a still life. I guess some people didn't see it.

glad2badad

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Lensbaby Sweet 35 Optic

05/17/2006 11:59:30 AM · #59

Originally posted by ragamuffingirl:

... I thought "workshop" was part of what this forum was for? Someone did have a thread asking what constituted a still life. I guess some people didn't see it.

Are you referring to this thread? If yes, the "workshop" time should be over. Once voting starts it's not time to debate what is/isn't still life - it turns into more of a platform to promote views and influence voters.

Olympus 17.5-45mm f/3.5-5.6

05/17/2006 12:06:20 PM · #60

Originally posted by karmabreeze:

Normally I would agree, but the folks who are marking down for flowers - all flowers and any flowers - are just blatantly uninformed. About a zillion classic (and classic-style) still life artworks feature cut flowers - in a bouquet, arrangement, vase, water pitcher, etc. Flowers are one of the classic features of still life, fercrissakes!

Monet's still life
Outdoor still life with flowers and fruit
Lex Gonzalez still life
Louise Woodroofe still life
Still Life - Flowers & Fruit by Mary Davidson
Dutch Master Jan van Huysum's Still Life Flowers

Thanks for researching and posting these. They reassure me that my slightly 'unusual' approach to the challenge was very much in the spirit of 'Still Life'.

I'm just one more '3' vote away from saying goodbye to my 6+ average forever and sumbmitting stuff that comes from the heart :-)

kirsty_mcn

Olympus E-500 EVOLT

05/17/2006 12:10:00 PM · #61

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Originally posted by ragamuffingirl:
... I thought "workshop" was part of what this forum was for? Someone did have a thread asking what constituted a still life. I guess some people didn't see it.

Are you referring to this thread? If yes, the "workshop" time should be over. Once voting starts it's not time to debate what is/isn't still life - it turns into more of a platform to promote views and influence voters.

Even before voting the challenge threads tend to be a platform for very polar views, rather than an educational foray into a classic art genre. For example, what Bear Music said about Still life would have been really useful - that way people don't enter challenges like "environmental Portrait" with a misunderstanding of the genre, or try to do a "out of the box" still life without first understanding something about the theme. Sometimes people get so worked up about "voters not appreciating creativity/out of the box thinking" they don't even consider what the theme means. If everyone understood the starting point so much clearer, it would allow for great creative/original shots that have grown out of study of the topic area.

Personally, I looked up Still life beforehand, was gonna make sure I included a "memento mori" but dismissed it because I thought no-one but Bear would recognise it for what it was.

posthumous

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

05/17/2006 12:30:29 PM · #62

Originally posted by front_element:

I'm just one more '3' vote away from saying goodbye to my 6+ average forever and sumbmitting stuff that comes from the heart :-)

Go for it! I achieved the same level of enlightenment yesterday! If you do, I'll even let you join Team Suck! ;)

Bosborne

Canon EOS-30D

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

05/17/2006 12:41:20 PM · #63

still life
n. pl. still lifes
Representation of inanimate objects, such as flowers or fruit, in painting or photography.
A painting, picture, or photograph of inanimate objects.

When I think of a still life, I go back to my days in art class (in highschool), where we had to assemble
two or more objects and use lighting to set the mood. That's what I've always gone back to when I
see that word ''still life''. Does this clear up anything??

Message edited by author 2006-05-17 12:52:31.

sacredspirit

Canon EOS-600D/T3i Rebel

05/17/2006 01:00:39 PM · #64

stdavidson, I always accept your opinions open arms, and I am glad you and bear_music got in on the conversation.

I really didn't mean to start an epidemic here, I was just wondering if anybody else out there was displeased with the entries, and felt like they were straying way off course.

...And guys please, I intended on a learning process here, not changing agenda's or whatever you said. I have ultimately changed about 15% of my votes to higher ones on the new base I learned about still life. I still think there were quite a few strays.

xianart

05/17/2006 01:01:53 PM · #65

yup, a still life is an arangement of objects. the artist must be responsible for the arrangement of said things. thus, a landscape isn't a still life.

the whole point of the themes, the limitations, is to challenge us to be creative in a restricted remit. this stretches the imaginative muscles. part of the fun is to come up with an original image while still working in the limitations of the challenge.

sometimes there are basic rules of art - what a still life is, etc etc. we just have to work within them ato create an original piece of art. even those who 'think outside the box' still meet work in the rules, just in a way most of us had not considered.

edit: there seem to be a lot of 'product shots'.

Message edited by author 2006-05-17 13:04:42.

eschelar

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

05/17/2006 01:05:55 PM · #66

Interesting the reaction to this thread.

Glad2badad... I am enjoying this thread. I didn't have time to do the research and set up a shot of still life, although I did try one setup that didn't work out. Reading through some of the definitions and opinions on the subject has proved to be quite informative. In fact, I usually look for a thread such as this on challenges that I don't have time to submit but am interested in. I am glad to see such threads each week because there's usually something to be learned in there that I probably wouldn't have gotten from just a basic google search...

Stdavidson.... for similar reasons, where you may feel frustrated because of the negative appearance of such a thread (especially in reference to the voting), it is actually often the case that such threads turn into rather helpful learning threads. I think that is a good thing and certainly indicative of a general positive trend even towards things that initially begin negative...

keep it up folks...

ragamuffingirl

Sony Alpha NEX-5N

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

05/17/2006 01:21:11 PM · #67

Originally posted by posthumous:

Originally posted by front_element:
I'm just one more '3' vote away from saying goodbye to my 6+ average forever and sumbmitting stuff that comes from the heart :-)

Go for it! I achieved the same level of enlightenment yesterday! If you do, I'll even let you join Team Suck! ;)

Can I join Team Suck?

xianart

05/17/2006 01:24:22 PM · #68

ok, i've voted on 116, and i'm getting depressed. i don't want to be snarky or unconstructive, but i've gotta whinge to someone. maybe i'll go tell the dog...

sea2c

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8

05/17/2006 01:33:26 PM · #69

While I agree there are alot of pics that DNMC, is it really necessary to put JUST that in a comment? I think the low votes for those of us trying to think outside the box, not the planet, get the point by the sub 4 scores.
Do we really need to start another thread how unconstructive the lone "DNMC" comment is? If you put it in a comment, there better be more than that. I mean, doesn't it pI$$ YOU off when someone leaves one of those?

klstover

Panasonic DMC-FZ8

05/17/2006 01:35:43 PM · #70

I'd rather have comments that are just "DNMC" than nothing, which is what I currently have. But I do understand your point!!

05/17/2006 01:52:25 PM · #71

Originally posted by posthumous:

I am pursing my lips and inserting a straw as we speak :-)

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

05/17/2006 01:58:40 PM · #72

Originally posted by Bosborne:

When I think of a still life, I go back to my days in art class (in highschool), where we had to assemble
two or more objects and use lighting to set the mood. That's what I've always gone back to when I see that word ''still life''.

Does this clear up anything??

I think your take on 'still life' would clear up a few things if the challenge had been so precisely worded i.e. "assemble two or more objects and use lighting to set the mood".

As it wasn't there is now the usual voting period argument about what DMC and what DNMC :-(

Rebecca

Nikon D80

05/17/2006 02:03:40 PM · #73

Originally posted by xianart:

there seem to be a lot of 'product shots'.

Is this a bad thing? :-/

Bosborne

Canon EOS-30D

05/17/2006 02:12:08 PM · #74

Thanks front element!

Please send a link on here to your portfolio!
That is EXACTLY what you need for a still life.
OK.
Rant over.

Ken