I am not sure what to say in reaction to the challenge results. I started off with a 4 vote and struggled to make it above a 5.0 for almost the entire week. As a result, I am happy I fought back to get the score I did, but I can't help but feel a little cheated in this one.
I personally think that this image is worthy of a much higher score...more like a 6.1 or 6.2. Certainly not the ribbon winner here, but I know it deserves better.
Since I only got 2 comments, only one which contained any type of criticism that would point to why I did not score well, please leave me a comment! I am really hurting here to understand what happened.
POST COMMENTS:
Thanks for the additional comments. Some very good points were made. I will use it and hopefully come up with a higher score in the next challenge!
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I didn't think it met the challenge properly. Yes you can say flowers are a simple pleasure but like has been said before that's a very sterile and clinical picture of the flowers.
It doesn't show any joy, which I think should be one of the main things in a "simple pleasure" challenge entry.
The lighting is ok but not fantastic and the frame is heavy. Basically it doesn't quite meet the challenge and not fantastic enough to lift it above that (as in good enough to get high scores despite not being an obvious match for the challenge)
This image is a very nice photo of orchids. Nothing more, nothing less. Your title both reinforces this as well as indicates to me that this image stirs no emotions in you the photographer beyond 'look, pretty flowers'. This is true of me the viewer as well. A nice image of some flowers, composition is a little odd, nothing to see here really, click 5, next. As the other comment indicated, something to show how such things are a simple pleasure of life would have probably earned you a higher score. Put it in context, show something that the viewer can relate to, etc. Good luck.
The lighting seems harsh to me, with too much falloff to the back orchid. I'd want to see much more graceful light; the picture cries out for some sense of luminosity. For me, also, the frame is at war with the image; it's WAY too heavy and aggressive for such a delicate subject. So between the lighting and the frame you've taken an ephemeral, delicate subject and turned it heavy and massive. Add to this that there's no real sense of topic involvement here (it's "just" a flower picture) and I think the final score is about where it should have been.
I know you are dissapointed with the score. I would have given it a 5. Here are the problems I see. The first is the subject. Flowers can be a simple pleasure, but to demonstrate that, I would be happier if I saw a person watering them or smelling them or somehow enjoying them. The black background although photographically nice, seperates the human joy from the flowers. I find the composition to be weak. Orchids have a very nice and distinctive shape. In this photo, the 3 flowers are kinda intertwined. 3 clean flowers I think would have been nicer. The almost straight line of flowers is also a problem. The lighting is another problem. It is very bright on the middle flower, and too dark on the upper flower. There are some positives. The background and frame are good. Sharp enough, with some nice textures on the white flowers. Hope this helps.
Mike
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